It will be a battle between Southwest Division opponents when the New Orleans Pelicans (9-7) welcome the San Antonio Spurs (8-7) to the Smoothie King Center. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, November 19, 2018, and will air on Fox Sports – Southwest.
New Orleans opened as a 7.5-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 225 points.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans Free Prediction
The Spurs will be looking for a similar outcome after covering the 6-point spread against the Golden State Warriors in their last contest, 104-92. The game’s combined points (196) finished well under the O/U total of 217. The Spurs held the Warriors to an effective field goal percentage of 0.436 (below their season average of 0.568) and had a turnover percentage of 9.1 (better than their season average of 10.7). San Antonio received a boost from LaMarcus Aldridge, who was the team’s high scorer with 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
The last time the Pelicans played, they defeated the Denver Nuggets, 125-115, easily covering as 1-point favorites. The total points for the game (240) finished over the O/U total of 227.5. The Pelicans made 31 of their 34 free throws (91.2 percent) and had a turnover percentage of 9.7 (better than their season average of 12.7). Anthony Davis was the game’s top scorer with 40 points on 10-for-20 shooting from the field.
This game should be a battle of conflicting tempos. New Orleans prefers an up-and-down style of play (third in possessions per game), while San Antonio is more half-court-oriented (26th in possessions per game). Ball protection should be an advantage for the Spurs. They rank 2nd at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 11.8 percent). Conversely, the Pelicans force the fifth-fewest turnovers in the NBA (opponents’ turnover percentage of 12.5 percent).
San Antonio comes into the game with records of 8-7 straight up (SU) and 7-7 against the spread (ATS). It’s tough to find a trend for games featuring the Spurs in regards to the total, as there has been an even split between games finishing over and under.
Meanwhile, New Orleans is 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS. Of the Pelicans’ 16 games, 9 have finished over the total.
Davis and E’Twaun Moore have played well over the last five games for New Orleans. Davis has averaged 31 points,15.2 rebounds,5.2 assists,2.6 blocks per game. Not to be outdone, Moore has put up 20 points a game during that span.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. Nikola Mirotic put up 22 points and 16 rebounds in the first matchup, in which the Pelicans lost 109-95, unable to cover as 2-point underdogs. The game finished with a total of 204 points, which was 23 points below the projected point total of 227 points. The Spurs had a much better turnover percentage (8.1 vs. 15.1) and had a better offensive rebounding percentage (16.0 vs. 14.6).
Spurs vs. Pelicans Odds Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Pelicans, ATS Winner – Pelicans, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes:
San Antonio is 3-4 ATS on the road with 4 unders and 3 overs.
New Orleans is 4-4 ATS at home with 4 overs, 3 unders and 1 push.
New Orleans is 2-0 when they allow under 100 points, while San Antonio is 4-1.
When reaching 100 points, the Pelicans are 9-6 and the Spurs are 7-3.
New Orleans ranks first in points in the paint per game (59.6) while San Antonio ranks 27th (40.3).
The Pelicans rank eighth in blocks per game (5.9) while the Spurs rank 25th (4.3).
New Orleans ranks 15th in fast break points per game (13.3) while San Antonio ranks last (8.2).
The Pelicans rank fifth in rebounds per game (48.3) while the Spurs rank 20th in rebounds allowed per game (45.9).
New Orleans ranks second in assists per game (27.1) while San Antonio ranks 17th (22.9).
The Pelicans rank 4 in second chance points per game (16.25) while the Spurs rank 14 (13.6).
San Antonio ranks 3 in points off turnovers allowed per game (15) while New Orleans ranks 10 (16.4375).
The Pelicans rank 24 in three pointers attempted per game (27.75) while the Spurs rank 29 (24.866666666666667).
New Orleans ranks 23 in steals per game (6.6875) while San Antonio ranks 26 (6.333333333333333).
Bettings Trends:
In its last five contests, San Antonio is 2-3 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
New Orleans is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over its last five games.
The Spurs have been outscored by an average of 2.2 points in their last five games. On the season, San Antonio has scored an equal number of points as their opponents.
During their last five games, the Pelicans have scored an average of 119.8 points per game (1.6 above their season average) and allowed an average of 111.0 points per game (5.3 below their season average).
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