The San Antonio Spurs (38-7) look to extend their 24-game home winning streak in a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans (16-28). The game gets underway at 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and can be seen on FSN and FSW.
The Spurs were blown out by the Warriors 120-90 in their last game. Kawhi Leonard was the team’s leading scorer, recording 16 points. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 112-111 loss at the hands of the Rockets in their last outing. Jrue Holiday had a team-high 32 points.
Holiday has been hot over the last five games for the Pelicans, averaging 18.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers.
The Spurs could have their way today, as their high-powered offense faces off against one of the league’s worst defenses. They currently rank third in the NBA in offensive efficiency while New Orleans ranks 28th in defensive efficiency. Put-back points also figure to be rare for the Pelicans. They rank 26th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 20.9%), while the Spurs are best in the league on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 80.3%).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Pelicans winning the first matchup 104-90. Ryan Anderson scored a game-high 30 points.
The Spurs are a considerable 13-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 206 points. The Spurs come into this game 40-8 Straight Up (SU) and 31-17 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 6-2 SU and 5-3 ATS when playing their division. The Spurs have no trouble scoring as they rank fifth in the league in home offense with 106.4 points per game. San Antonio is excellent from the perimeter, shooting an impressive .384 from three-point range. San Antonio has the third-most assists in the NBA, averaging 25.1 per game. The San Antonio defense has been dominant, only giving up 89.7 points per home game, good for best in the league. San Antonio’s three-point defense can be considered for best in the league, allowing an NBA-low 272 three-pointers (6.0 per game). An area where the Spurs are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 35.6 defensive rebounds per game, third in the NBA.
On the other side, the Pelicans have a record of 20-27 ATS and 18-29 SU. Against fellow division members, New Orleans has a 4-7 SU and a 5-6 ATS record. New Orleans is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, hitting .793 of their shots from the line.
New Orleans won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Spurs still lead the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU, over the last 10 matchups. The Pelicans lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA, O/U – Over
Notes
San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 6 games.
San Antonio is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games.
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
San Antonio is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 6 games when playing New Orleans.
San Antonio is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans.
San Antonio is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing New Orleans.
San Antonio is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
The San Antonio Spurs hold a winning 5-2 SU record in matchups against Southwest Division rivals, while the New Orleans Pelicans currently sit at 4-6 in these games.
New Orleans averages a solid 102.6 points per game this season. However, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed, giving up just 91.2 points per game.
New Orleans puts up 98.4 points per away game this season. However, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 89.7 per game.
The New Orleans Pelicans lost their last game by a one-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, the San Antonio Spurs are 2-3. New Orleans is 3-3 in close games this season.
When the New Orleans Pelicans allow under 100 points they are 8-6, while the San Antonio Spurs are 10-6 when they score fewer than 100 points.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a subpar 8-22 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The San Antonio Spurs are 28-1 when they hit the century mark.
The Spurs have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 94.4. The Pelicans have an offensive rating of 103.8 (ranked 12th).
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking first in the league with a FG% of 48.9%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the New Orleans Pelicans have an underachieving 2-7 record.
On average, the San Antonio Spurs attempt 18.0 three point field goals per game and the New Orleans Pelicans attempt 24.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, San Antonio is an even 1-1, while New Orleans has a poor record of 8-14.
San Antonio ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.91 (ranked second). New Orleans is ranked 10th, with an A/TO of 1.67.
The San Antonio Spurs rebound 45.0 times per game and are ranked seventh. Ranked 22nd, the New Orleans Pelicans rebound 42.6 times per game.
San Antonio is ranked third in defensive rebounds, while New Orleans ranks 25th in offensive rebounds.
San Antonio is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.0% (ranked seventh). New Orleans has a poor record of 4-10 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.0% or greater.
