The New Orleans Pelicans (18-17) square off against the New York Knicks (17-18) at Smoothie King Center. The game can be seen on MSG Network at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 30, 2017.
New Orleans opened as a 5.5-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 215 points.
New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Pelicans Betting Prediction
The last time the Knicks played, they were topped by the San Antonio Spurs, 119-107. One of San Antonio’s largest advantages was getting to the free throw line. They made 39 trips to the line, while New York went just 22 times. Michael Beasley led New York in scoring with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting.
The Pelicans were beaten by the Dallas Mavericks in their last outing, 128-120. Dallas’ offensive rebounding percentage was their largest strength over New Orleans. The Mavericks had a rate of 15.6 (below their season average of 17.4), while the Pelicans posted a mark of 9.5 (below their season average of 20.3). New Orleans’ DeMarcus Cousins contributed 32 points, 20 rebounds and eight assists in the game.
Conflicting styles will be on display in this battle. New Orleans prefers to play up-tempo (fifth in possessions per game), while New York likes to grind-it-out (19th in possessions per game).
New York holds records of 17-18 straight up (SU) and 19-16 against the spread (ATS). Just over half of the Knicks’ games have finished under the O/U total.
Meanwhile, New Orleans owns records of 18-17 SU and 20-14 ATS. Of the Pelicans’ 34 games that accepted bets, 21 have finished over the total.
Enes Kanter has averaged 16.4 points and 12.4 rebounds over the last five games for New York.
After the Pelicans won both contests against the Knicks last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the most recent game, New Orleans won 110-96. The Pelicans had a much better turnover percentage (8.0 vs. 13.2) and had a better free throw rate (0.190 vs. 0.153).
New York Knicks at New Orleans Pelicans Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Pelicans, ATS Winner – Pelicans, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
New York is 4-10 ATS on the road with 7 unders, 6 overs and 1 push.
At home, New Orleans is 9-7 ATS with 11 overs and 5 unders.
New Orleans is 6-0 when they hold opponents under 100 points, while New York is 8-1.
The Knicks are 16-8 when they score above 100 points, while the Pelicans are 16-12.
New York ranks second in second chance points per game (14.8) while New Orleans ranks 22nd in second chance points allowed per game (13.3).
The Knicks rank first in points allowed in the paint per game (39.7) while the Pelicans rank 20th (45.2).
New Orleans ranks 10th in fast break points per game (13.2) while New York ranks 29th (6.3).
The Pelicans rank 13th in three pointers attempted per game (29.7) while the Knicks rank 29th (21.7).
New York ranks first in rebounds allowed per game (40.8) while New Orleans ranks 17th (43.3).
The Pelicans rank second in assists per game (26.8) while the Knicks rank 16th in assists allowed per game (22.5).
New Orleans averages 16.7 points off turnovers per game, which ranks 15th in the NBA. New York ranks 26th in points off turnovers allowed per game (18.7).
The Pelicans rank 18th in steals per game (7.5) while the Knicks rank 25th in steals allowed per game (8.3).
New Orleans ranks 11th in blocks per game (4.9) while New York ranks 17th in blocks allowed per game (4.9).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, New York is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
New Orleans is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Knicks’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 3.6, up from 0.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pelicans have scored an average of 114.8 points per game (3.4 above their season average) and allowed an average of 109.6 points per game (1.8 below their season average).
