The New Orleans Pelicans (3-0) will look to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals when they challenge the Portland Trail Blazers (0-3) at Smoothie King Center in game four of the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The game can be seen on TNT at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 21, 2018.
New Orleans is a 7-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 216 points.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Betting Prediction
Davis recorded 28 points and 11 rebounds in game three, in which the Pelicans defeated the Trail Blazers 119-102, covering as 4-point favorites. The game finished with a total of 221 points, which was just 5 points above the projected point total of 216 points. The Pelicans’ turnover percentage was their largest strength over the Trail Blazers. New Orleans had a rate of 11.2, while Portland posted a mark of 20.9.
Looking at effective field goal percentage, this appears to be a matchup of two heavyweights. The sweet-shooting New Orleans offense ranks fourth in the league in that metric at 0.542, while the top-notch Portland defense is ranked fifth in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.505).
Portland comes into the game with records of 49-36 straight up (SU) and 45-33-7 against the spread (ATS). Vegas tends to set the total high when the Trail Blazers are involved, as 56.5 percent of their games have finished under the total.
Meanwhile, New Orleans owns records of 51-34 SU and 48-36-1 ATS. Contrary to Portland, Pelicans games have typically gone over the total (57.6 percent).
Nikola Mirotic has averaged 21.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks over the last five games for New Orleans.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Pick
NBA Tip: SU Winner – Pelicans, ATS Winner – Pelicans, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Portland is 22-17-3 ATS on the road with 24 unders and 18 overs.
At home, New Orleans is 20-21-1 ATS with 29 overs and 13 unders.
New Orleans is 13-2 when they allow under 100 points, while Portland is 26-8.
The Trail Blazers are 44-20 when they score more than 100 points, while the Pelicans are 47-22.
New Orleans ranks third in fast break points per game (15.4) while Portland ranks last (8.4).
The Pelicans rank third in assists per game (26.7) while the Trail Blazers rank last (19.5).
New Orleans ranks first in points in the paint per game (52.4) while Portland ranks 23rd (43.2).
The Trail Blazers average 13.6 second chance points per game, which ranks sixth in the league. The Pelicans rank 28th in second chance points allowed per game (13.9).
Portland averages 45.5 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the NBA. New Orleans ranks 25th in rebounds allowed per game (45.5).
The Pelicans average 5.9 blocks per game, which ranks third in the NBA. The Trail Blazers rank 23rd in blocks allowed per game (5.2).
Portland ranks fifth in three pointers allowed per game (26.5) while New Orleans ranks 25th (30.7).
The Pelicans rank eighth in steals per game (8.1) while the Trail Blazers rank 25th (7.0).
New Orleans ranks 14th in points off turnovers per game (16.5) while Portland ranks 28th (14.3).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Portland is 1-4 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
New Orleans is 5-0 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Trail Blazers have been outscored by an average of 5.0 points in their last five games. For the season, Portland has defeated opponents by an average of 2.2 points.
During their last five games, the Pelicans have scored an average of 112.4 points per game (0.8 above their season average) and allowed an average of 99.4 points per game (10.6 below their season average).
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