The New Orleans Pelicans (2-0) square off against the Portland Trail Blazers (0-2) at Smoothie King Center in game three of the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The game can be seen on NBATV at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 19, 2018.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 216 points with New Orleans opening as a 3.5-point favorite.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Free Prediction
Holiday scored a game-high 33 points in game two, in which the Pelicans, who were 6.5-point underdogs, beat the Trail Blazers 111-102. He also recorded nine assists. The game finished with a total of 213 points, which was just 4 points below the projected point total of 217 points. The Pelicans had a better free throw rate (0.155 vs. 0.088) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.583 vs. 0.516).
Looking at effective field goal percentage, this appears to be a matchup of two heavyweights. The upper-echelon New Orleans offense ranks fourth in the NBA in that metric at 0.541, while the elite Portland defense is ranked fifth in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.504).
Portland holds records of 49-35 straight up (SU) and 45-32-7 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is known to set the total high when the Trail Blazers are involved, as 57.1 percent of their games have gone under the total.
Meanwhile, New Orleans owns records of 50-34 SU and 47-36-1 ATS. Unlike Portland, games involving the Pelicans have typically gone over the total (57.1 percent).
Nikola Mirotic has averaged 24.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks over the last five games for New Orleans.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Odds Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Pelicans, ATS Winner – Pelicans, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Portland is 22-16-3 ATS with 24 unders and 17 overs.
New Orleans is 19-21-1 ATS at home with 28 overs and 13 unders.
In games where they allow less than 100 points, New Orleans is 13-2 and Portland is 26-8.
The Trail Blazers are 44-19 when they score more than 100 points, while the Pelicans are 46-22.
New Orleans ranks third in assists per game (26.7) while Portland ranks last (19.5).
The Pelicans rank fourth in fast break points per game (15.2) while the Trail Blazers rank last (8.4).
New Orleans ranks first in points in the paint per game (52.2) while Portland ranks 23rd (43.1).
The Trail Blazers average 13.7 second chance points per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Pelicans rank 28th in second chance points allowed per game (13.9).
New Orleans ranks third in blocks per game (6.0) while Portland ranks 24th in blocks allowed per game (5.2).
The Trail Blazers rank third in rebounds per game (45.5) while the Pelicans rank 24th in rebounds allowed per game (45.6).
Portland ranks fifth in three pointers allowed per game (26.5) while New Orleans ranks 25th (30.7).
The Pelicans rank eighth in steals per game (8.0) while the Trail Blazers rank 25th (7.0).
Portland ranks fifth in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.8) while New Orleans ranks 21st (17.3).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Portland is 1-4 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
New Orleans is 5-0 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Trail Blazers have been outscored by an average of 3.8 points in their last five games. On the season, Portland has defeated opponents by an average of 2.4 points.
During their last five games, the Pelicans have scored an average of 113.8 points per game (2.3 above their season average) and allowed an average of 103.0 points per game (7.1 below their season average).
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