The New Orleans Pelicans will have their chance to beat the Southwest’s best team when they take on the division rival San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 30 and can be seen on FSN and SA2.
The Spurs defeated the Grizzlies 101-87 on Monday. LaMarcus Aldridge was a key piece, recording his 24th double-double of the season with 31 points and 13 rebounds. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 99-91 win against the Knicks on Monday. Jrue Holiday led the team in scoring with 22 points on 9-for-19 shooting.
Over the last five games, Aldridge has been playing at a high level for the Spurs. During that stretch, he has averaged 22.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.8 blocks.
The Spurs lead the season series against the Pelicans two games to one, including a 94-86 victory in their last matchup. Kawhi Leonard recorded a double-double with 30 points and 11 rebounds.
The Spurs are hoping to build on their records of 62-12 Straight Up (SU) and 43-31 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 4-11 SU and 7-8 ATS against divisional opponents. The Spurs are a phenomenal shooting team with an NBA-best .488 field-goal percentage. San Antonio is one of the best passing teams in the league with an average of 24.8 assists per game. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play San Antonio’s stingy defense. The Spurs are the top team when it comes to defense, allowing a league-low 92.6 points per game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Spurs, who allow a field goal percentage of only .434. The Spurs do a great job keeping their opponents off of the glass and limiting second-chance points. They average 34.8 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the NBA.
Over on the other bench, the Pelicans have a record of 31-42 ATS and 27-46 SU. New Orleans has records of 12-2 SU and 9-5 ATS against the Southwest. New Orleans’s defense has allowed an average of 94.3 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 106.2.
San Antonio beat New Orleans in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record to 6-4 over the Pelicans in the last 10 games. The Pelicans lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA
Notes
San Antonio puts up an average of 104.3 points per game (ranked eighth). New Orleans ranks 25th in points allowed per game with 106.2.
New Orleans puts up 99.5 points per away game this season. However, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 90.8 per game.
New Orleans is a split 10-10 in games where it gives up fewer than 100 points. San Antonio is a solid 16-10 when it scores less than 100.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a losing 17-36 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The San Antonio Spurs are 46-2 when they hit the century mark.
The Spurs have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 96.5. The Pelicans have an offensive rating of 103.4 (ranked 18th).
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking first in the league with a FG% of 48.8%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the New Orleans Pelicans have a poor 7-17 record.
On average, San Antonio attempts 18.0 three pointers and New Orleans attempts 23.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, both have losing records. The Spurs are 1-2 while the Pelicans sit at 11-20.
The San Antonio Spurs are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.96 (ranked second). Ranking 11th, the New Orleans Pelicans have an A/TO of 1.70.
The San Antonio Spurs rebound 44.2 times per game and are ranked 10th. Ranked 22nd, the New Orleans Pelicans rebound 42.7 times per game.
The New Orleans Pelicans rank 24th in offensive rebounding, while the San Antonio Spurs rank fourth in defensive rebounding.
San Antonio is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.0% (ranked 10th). New Orleans has a subpar record of 7-16 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.0% or greater.
