The New Orleans Pelicans head to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. The game gets underway at 10:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 1 and will air on FSN-NO and TWC SN.
The Lakers won a close one over the 76ers 113-111 on Monday. Jordan Clarkson fueled the Lakers, recording 26 points and 11 assists to notch his first double-double this season. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 110-88 win over the Timberwolves on Sunday. Anthony Davis shot 10-for-21 and led in scoring with 28 points.
Over the last five games, Clarkson has really been playing well for the Lakers. During that stretch, he has averaged 21.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers.
The Pelicans have won all three contests against the Lakers this season, including a 96-80 victory in their last matchup. Davis scored a game-high 29 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Lakers enter the game with records of 20-53 Straight Up (SU) and 36-34-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 8-35 SU and 19-22-2 ATS against teams from the Western Conference.
Across the court, the Pelicans head into the game with records of 42-31 ATS and 39-34 SU. New Orleans has a record of 23-20 SU and 26-17 ATS against the West. New Orleans is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, hitting .366 of their shots from three-point range. Switching gears to New Orleans’s defense, teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Pelicans, who are third in the league in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 480 this season. They average 6.2 blocks per game, good for tops in the league.
New Orleans won the last meeting this season between these two teams, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over the last 10 games. However, the Pelicans lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Both Los Angeles and New Orleans have led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10.
Predictions: SU Winner – NO, ATS Winner – NO
Notes
On average, New Orleans puts up 99.4 points per game (ranked 16th). Los Angeles ranks 28th in points allowed per game with 104.7.
New Orleans scores an average of 96.8 points per away game (ranked 21st). Los Angeles ranks 27th in points allowed per home game with 102.5.
In contests where it has given up fewer than 100 points, Los Angeles has a 12-14 record. When New Orleans scores fewer than 100, it is a poor 10-25.
The Los Angeles Lakers have an abysmal 8-39 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The New Orleans Pelicans are 29-9 when they hit triple digits.
The Pelicans have a defensive rating of 104.3 (ranked 24th). The Lakers rank 22nd for their offensive rating of 100.8.
Los Angeles averages 98.1 possessions per game, scoring 1.008 points on each possession. While New Orleans averages fewer possessions per game with 94.6, the team scores more points per possession with 1.051.
New Orleans has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.0%. Los Angeles is a subpar 6-35 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans make 22.1 assists per game and the Los Angeles Lakers make 20.9. New Orleans is ranked 10th, while Los Angeles is ranked 20th.
The New Orleans Pelicans top the league in blocking, with 6.2 made per game. The Los Angeles Lakers average 4.6 blocks per game (ranked 18th).
Los Angeles is ranked ninth in offensive rebounding. New Orleans ranks 18th in defensive rebounds.
The New Orleans Pelicans average 6.8 steals per game. When giving up 6 or more steals, the Los Angeles Lakers have a losing record (15-41) this season.
