The New Orleans Pelicans (38-28) challenge the Charlotte Hornets (29-38) at Smoothie King Center. The game will air on Fox Sports – New Orleans at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
New Orleans opened as a 4-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 230 points.
Charlotte Hornets vs. New Orleans Pelicans Betting Prediction
The last time the Hornets played, they defeated the Phoenix Suns, 122-115. The Hornets made 21 of their 27 free throws (77.8 percent) and held the Suns to an offensive rebounding percentage of 12.8 (below their season average of 23.1). With 30 points on 10-for-15 shooting, Dwight Howard was the top scorer from either team.
The Pelicans were beaten by the Utah Jazz in their last contest, 116-99. Utah made good use of their 25 trips to the charity stripe, making 24 of them (96.0 percent). New Orleans, meanwhile, was 11-13 (84.6 percent). New Orleans’ Anthony Davis had an outstanding performance, collecting 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks on his way to his zeroth triple-double this season.
New Orleans could dominate on the offensive side of the ball as their upper-echelon offense faces off against one of the league’s worst defenses. The Pelicans rank fourth in effective field goal percentage (0.542), while Charlotte ranks 24th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.534). Ball security should be an advantage for the Hornets. They rank 2nd at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.2 percent), while the Pelicans force the seventh-fewest turnovers in the league (opponents’ turnover percentage of 13.3 percent).
Charlotte comes into the contest with records of 29-38 straight up (SU) and 26-37-4 against the spread (ATS). Of the Hornets’ 67 games, 34 have finished over the total.
Meanwhile, New Orleans owns records of 38-28 SU and 36-30 ATS. Of the Pelicans’ 66 games, 41 have finished over the projected point total.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, the Hornets lost 101-96, unable to cover as 2.5-point favorites. Howard led both teams with 22 points and also had 16 rebounds. The game finished with a total of 197 points, which was 27 points below the projected point total of 224 points. New Orleans had a better effective field goal percentage (0.500 vs. 0.459). Charlotte, meanwhile, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (22.7 vs. 17.0).
Charlotte Hornets at New Orleans Pelicans ATS Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Pelicans, ATS Winner – Hornets, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Charlotte is 10-18-3 ATS on the road with 15 overs, 15 unders and 1 push.
New Orleans is 13-18 ATS at home with 23 overs and 8 unders.
When holding opponents below 100 points, Charlotte is 10-3 and New Orleans is 8-1.
When reaching the century mark, the Hornets are 28-17 and the Pelicans are 36-18.
Charlotte ranks first in second chance points allowed per game (10.1) while New Orleans ranks 27th (13.5).
The Hornets rank first in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.2) while the Pelicans rank 24th (17.6).
Charlotte ranks fifth in fast break points allowed per game (10.0) while New Orleans ranks 28th (14.4).
The Pelicans rank second in assists per game (26.6) while the Hornets rank 25th (21.4).
Charlotte ranks second in steals allowed per game (6.4) while New Orleans ranks 22nd (8.2).
The Hornets average 44.9 rebounds per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Pelicans rank 26th in rebounds allowed per game (45.4).
New Orleans ranks second in points in the paint per game (51.5) while Charlotte ranks 21st (43.2).
The Pelicans rank third in blocks allowed per game (4.1) while the Hornets rank 20th (5.0).
Charlotte ranks 17th in three pointers allowed per game (29.9) while New Orleans ranks 25th (30.6).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Charlotte is 1-4 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
New Orleans is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Hornets’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 7.4, up from 0.6 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pelicans have scored an average of 111.4 points per game (0.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 111.6 points per game (0.1 below their season average).
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