It will be a battle between Southwest Division opponents when the San Antonio Spurs (5-2) welcome the New Orleans Pelicans (4-4) to the AT&T Center. The game can be seen on Fox Sports – Southwest at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 3, 2018.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs Betting Prediction
In the Pelicans’ last game, they were topped by the Portland Trail Blazers, 132-119, and failed to cover as 8-point underdogs. The combined points for the game (251) finished well over the projected point total of 229.5. Portland launched 35 three pointers, making 18 of them (51.4 percent). New Orleans, on the other hand, was 8-29 (27.6 percent). Nikola Mirotic played well for New Orleans, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The Spurs had no trouble getting past the Phoenix Suns in their last outing, 120-90, comfortably covering as 6.5-point favorites. The game’s combined points (210) came in under the projected point total of 215. The Spurs made 24 of their 26 free throws (92.3 percent) and had an effective field goal percentage of 0.578 (above their season average of 0.504). DeMar DeRozan was the game’s top scorer with 25 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field.
The Pelicans won three of the four games against the Spurs last season. In the last contest, New Orleans won 122-98. New Orleans had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.619 vs. 0.446). San Antonio, on the other hand, did a fantastic job of making free throws (16-19; 84.2 percent).
New Orleans heads into the game with records of 4-4 straight up (SU) and 4-4 against the spread (ATS). Of the Pelicans’ eight games, five have finished over the O/U total.
Meanwhile, San Antonio is 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS. Games involving the Spurs also tend to go over the total (71.4 percent).
San Antonio could put on a ball-control clinic in this matchup. Since last season, San Antonio ranks fourth in the league at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.9 percent), while New Orleans has forced the ninth-fewest turnovers (13.3 percent). It will also be a matchup of opposite tempos as the fast-paced Pelicans rank fifth in possessions per game, while the slower-paced Spurs rank 29th.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Pelicans, ATS Winner – Pelicans, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes (2017-Present):
Each team is strong when holding the opposition to under 100 points, as New Orleans is 13-2 and San Antonio is 34-11.
The Pelicans are 53-29 when they score over 100 points, while the Spurs are 42-16.
New Orleans ranks first in points in the paint per game (53.5) while San Antonio ranks 23rd (43.6).
The Pelicans rank fifth in fast break points per game (15.4) while the Spurs rank 25th (9.9).
San Antonio ranks fourth in three pointers allowed per game (26.7) while New Orleans ranks 23rd (30.9).
The Spurs rank 11th in second chance points allowed per game (12.0) while the Pelicans rank 28th (13.5).
San Antonio ranks 13th in rebounds allowed per game (42.9) while New Orleans ranks 25th (45.5).
The Pelicans rank third in assists per game (26.8) while the Spurs rank 15th (22.7).
San Antonio averages 7.6 steals per game, which ranks 17th in the league. New Orleans ranks 23rd in steals allowed per game (8.2).
The Pelicans rank fourth in blocks per game (5.8) while the Spurs rank seventh (5.3).
San Antonio ranks 20th in points off turnovers per game (16.2) while New Orleans ranks 21st in points off turnovers allowed per game (17.4).
*****
