The New York Knicks will travel to the Smoothie King Center to face the New Orleans Pelicans. Action gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 28 and can be seen on FSN and MSG.
The Pelicans got blown out by the Raptors 115-91 on Saturday. Alonzo Gee was the team’s leading scorer, contributing 18 points. The Knicks, meanwhile, are coming off a 107-93 loss at the hands of the Cavaliers on Saturday. Carmelo Anthony had a team-high 28 points.
New Orleans should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank fifth in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.8%). Meanwhile, the Knicks force the fewest turnovers in the league (11.2%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Knicks won the first game 95-87. In the loss, Anthony Davis had a double-double with 36 points and 11 rebounds.
The Pelicans are looking to improve on their records of 26-46 Straight Up (SU) and 30-42 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 26-46 SU and 30-42 ATS against the Eastern Conference.
On the other side, New York has a SU record of 30-44 and an ATS record of 39-34-1. Most recently, New York is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games. The Knicks convert their free throws at a high percentage, leading the league at .807. New York’s defense has allowed an average of 112.1 points per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 101.5. Don’t expect New York to give away the ball much on offense, where its 12.5 turnovers per game ranks fourth in the league.
In their previous meeting this season, New York beat New Orleans, moving its SU record against the Pelicans to 7-3 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Furthermore, the Knicks hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – NY
Notes
New York ranks 26th in points per game with 98.8, while New Orleans ranks 25th in points allowed with an average of 106.4 given up.
New Orleans ranks 28th in points allowed per home game (106.7 PPG), while New York ranks 24th in points per away game with 98.2.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the New Orleans Pelicans have a 9-10 record. When they don’t reach the century mark, the New York Knicks have an underachieving record of 6-36.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pelicans are just 17-36 this season. New York is a superb 24-8 when it reaches the century mark.
The Pelicans have an offensive rating of 103.4 (ranked 20th). The Knicks rank 19th for their defensive rating of 105.7.
On average, New Orleans has 99.4 possessions per game and scores 1.034 points on each possession. New York has both fewer possessions (95.6) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.033).
The New Orleans Pelicans average an effective field goal percentage of 49.5% this season. The New York Knicks have a subpar record of 6-21 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.5% or greater.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans make 21.7 assists per game and the New York Knicks make 20.4. New Orleans is ranked 18th, while New York is ranked 26th.
New Orleans makes an average of 4.4 blocks per game (ranked 21st). New York ranks higher in blocks with 5.6 (ranked ninth).
The New Orleans Pelicans rank 24th in offensive rebounding, while the New York Knicks rank 10th in defensive rebounding.
The New York Knicks average 5.6 steals per game. When giving up 5 or more steals, the New Orleans Pelicans have a poor record (19-40) this season.
