NBA Odds: Pelicans (even)
The Toronto Raptors head to the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 23 and will air on NBATV, TSN and FSN-NO.
The Pelicans beat the Heat 105-91 on Saturday. Eric Gordon was the game’s high scorer with 24 points on 7-for-18 shooting. The Raptors, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 98-76 loss at the hands of the Rockets on Saturday. James Johnson had a game-high 27 points.
Johnson has been on fire over the last five games for the Raptors, averaging 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Pelicans won the first game 95-93. Tyreke Evans was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Pelicans look to build on their records of 28-27 Straight Up (SU) and 31-24 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 9-13 SU and 11-11 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Teams have a tough time keeping New Orleans off of the offensive glass. They rank fourth in the NBA in offensive rebounds. Turning to the defensive side, the Pelicans are the fifth-best team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 5.9 blocks per game.
On the other side, Toronto has a SU record of 37-18 and an ATS record of 27-27-1. Toronto has a record of 12-8 SU and 9-10-1 ATS against the West. They sport the top-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 107.3 points per game. Toronto is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, converting .783 of their shots from the line. Toronto has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 12.4 per game.
Following the Pelicans’ latest win over Toronto, New Orleans is still behind in the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 2-8 SU. The Raptors also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 8-1-1. Toronto held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last 10, while New Orleans wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, ATS Winner – TOR
Notes
The Toronto Raptors are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 105.0 points per game (ranked fifth), while the New Orleans Pelicans are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 99.5 (ranked 14th).
New Orleans has allowed an average of 99.2 points per home game this season. Toronto averages 107.3 points per away game, placing the team at the top of the NBA in scoring.
New Orleans has a winning 18-11 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Toronto is 7-10 when it puts up under 100.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a subpar 10-16 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Toronto Raptors are 30-8 when they hit triple digits.
The Raptors have a defensive rating of 103.2 (ranked 16th). The Pelicans rank eighth for their offensive rating of 105.4.
Toronto beats New Orleans in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Raptors average 97.2 possessions and 1.081 points per possession, while the Pelicans average 94.5 possessions with 1.054 points per possession.
Toronto has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.7% (ranked ninth in the league}. New Orleans is a poor 7-18 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans make 21.4 assists per game and the Toronto Raptors make 21.0. New Orleans is ranked 17th, while Toronto is ranked 20th.
The New Orleans Pelicans average 5.9 blocks per game for a rank of fifth. The Toronto Raptors rank lower (18th), earning 4.6 blocks each game.
New Orleans ranks fourth in offensive rebounding, placing the team near the top of the pack. Toronto, however, ranks 26th in defensive rebounds.
The New Orleans Pelicans make an average of 7.0 steals per game. When the Toronto Raptors allow 6 or more steals, they are a solid 22-13.
