NBA Odds: Pelicans (even)
The New Orleans Pelicans welcome the Brooklyn Nets to the Smoothie King Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 25 and can be seen on YES and FSN-NO.
The Pelicans played well in their last game, barely hanging on to beat the Raptors 100-97 on Monday. Luke Babbitt was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting. The Nets, meanwhile, are coming off a 110-82 win against the Nuggets on Monday. Deron Williams claimed his sixth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 assists.
The odds for New Orleans and Brooklyn are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Pelicans come into this game 29-27 Straight Up (SU) and 32-24 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 10-13 SU and 12-11 ATS against the Eastern Conference. The Pelicans prevent teams from making three-pointers on the defensive end, ranking third in the league with 379 total three-pointers allowed (6.8 per game). Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of New Orleans’s offense, which averages just 12.3 turnovers per game.
In the other locker room, the Nets have a record of 26-28 ATS and 23-31 SU. Brooklyn performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-3 record.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these two. Their previous game was a Pelicans victory, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Nets lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. New Orleans and Brooklyn both held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once over the last 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – NO, ATS Winner – NO
Notes
On average, Brooklyn puts up 96.1 points per game (ranked 24th), while New Orleans gives up 99.5 points per game (ranked 16th).
Brooklyn ranks 24th in points per away game with 96.1 points, while New Orleans ranks 18th in points allowed at home with 99.1.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Pelicans are 19-11 on the season. When the Nets score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 7-26.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a poor 10-16 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Brooklyn Nets are 16-5 when they hit triple digits.
The Nets have a defensive rating of 103.8 (ranked 19th). The Pelicans rank seventh for their offensive rating of 105.5.
New Orleans averages fewer possessions per game than Brooklyn, with 94.5 compared to 95.6. However, the Pelicans score an average of 1.055 points per possession, more than the 1.005 that the Nets score.
The New Orleans Pelicans average an effective field goal percentage of 49.4% this season. The Brooklyn Nets have a subpar record of 7-22 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.4% or greater.
New Orleans makes an average of 21.5 assists per game (ranked 16th), while Brooklyn makes 20.7 assists per game (ranked 22nd).
The New Orleans Pelicans average 6.0 blocks per game for a rank of fifth. The Brooklyn Nets rank lower (23rd), earning 4.4 blocks each game.
The New Orleans Pelicans rank sixth in offensive rebounding, while the Brooklyn Nets rank 16th in defensive rebounding.
The New Orleans Pelicans average 6.9 steals per game. When giving up 6 or more steals, the Brooklyn Nets have a losing record (14-29) this season.
