Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers travel to New Orleans to take on Anthony Davis and the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. The game starts at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 20 and will air on PRI and FSN.
The Pelicans were beaten by the Trail Blazers 117-112 on Friday. Jrue Holiday played well for New Orleans, contributing 30 points, six assists, and two steals. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off a 113-102 loss to the Grizzlies on Saturday. Chris Paul had a good shooting night, leading the team with 25 points.
Ryan Anderson has been playing at a high level as of late for the Pelicans, averaging 23.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers over the last five games.
When considering effective field goal percentage, the Clippers figure to have a substantial advantage on the offensive end. They rank fourth in the NBA in that category at 52.2%, whereas New Orleans’s bottom-tier effective field goal percentage defense ranks 26th with opponents connecting at a clip of 52.1%.
The Clippers have won all three contests against the Pelicans this season, including a close 114-111 victory in their last matchup. Paul played a big role with 25 points and 11 assists.
The Pelicans enter the game with records of 25-43 Straight Up (SU) and 28-40 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 3-7 ATS.
On the other side, Los Angeles has a SU record of 43-25 and an ATS record of 32-34-2. In Western Conference games, Los Angeles has gone 43-25 SU and 32-34-2 ATS. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Clippers. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.81. Switching gears to Los Angeles’s defense, teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Clippers, who are the fifth-best team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .439.
The Clippers’ win over New Orleans in their last clash brought their SU record in the past 10 games to 8-2. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, the Clippers have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC
Notes
“New Orleans is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“New Orleans is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 7 of New Orleans’s last 8 games “.
“New Orleans is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 15 of New Orleans’s last 17 games at home”.
“New Orleans is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing LA Clippers”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games when playing LA Clippers”.
“New Orleans is 12-3 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against LA Clippers”.
“New Orleans is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against LA Clippers”.
“New Orleans is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers”.
“The total has gone OVER in 13 of New Orleans’s last 18 games when playing at home against LA Clippers”.
Los Angeles’ offense and New Orleans’ defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Los Angeles scores an average of 0.0 points per game, while New Orleans gives up 0.0 points per game.
Los Angeles and New Orleans are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Los Angeles puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while New Orleans gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
The Los Angeles Clippers are 31-3 in games where they allow fewer than 100 points, while the New Orleans Pelicans are winless (0-30) when scoring less than 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Clippers are just 12-22 this season. New Orleans is a winning 25-13 when registering triple digits.
The Pelicans have a defensive rating of 107.4 (ranked 26th), while the Clippers rank sixth for their offensive rating of 106.9.
Los Angeles has an average field goal percentage of 46.3% (ranked seventh). New Orleans is an underachieving 13-26 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans attempt 24.0 three point field goals per game and the Los Angeles Clippers attempt 26.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, New Orleans has a poor record of 11-20, while Los Angeles is 25-17.
The Los Angeles Clippers are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.81 (ranked third). Ranking ninth, the New Orleans Pelicans have an A/TO of 1.73.
The Pelicans rank 22nd in rebounds per game with 42.5, while the Clippers rank 24th with 42.0 per game.
New Orleans is ranked 19th in defensive rebounds, while Los Angeles ranks 28th in offensive rebounds.
Los Angeles is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 14.8% (ranked 10th). New Orleans has a losing record of 6-15 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 14.8% or greater.
