New Orleans battles Portland in one of the more intriguing NBA matchups on Friday, Jan. 18. The Pelicans are 3 games below .500 and would like nothing more than to inch closer to a winning record with a victory against the Blazers. Portland’s one of the better teams in the NBA, though. Will the Pelicans pull off the upset? Or, will the Trailblazers get the win and cover?
Pelicans vs Trail Blazers NBA Lines & Betting Prediction
Tomorrow night on @FOXSportsNOLA! #doitBIG pic.twitter.com/IbynGe0Sis
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 18, 2019
- When: Friday, Jan. 18 at 10:30 pm ET
- Where: Moda Center, Portland, OR
- TV: FS-NO
- Radio: New Orleans / Portland
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- ATS Odds: Portland -3 (-110)
- Over/Under Total Odds: 233.5 (-110)
Why New Orleans Pelicans are a good bet +3?
Although The New Orleans Pelicans’ record is 21-24, they’ve played decent basketball this season. It starts with Anthony Davis, who might be the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. Davis averages close to 13 points and close to 14 boards per game.
He didn’t play in the last matchup with Portland. The Traiblazers beat the Pelicans 132-119 in that contest, but with Davis on the floor on Friday night, the outcome could be much different.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Points/G: 117.5
- Field Goal %: 48.1
- 3-Point %: 35.9
- Free Throw %: 77.7
- Rebounds/G: 47
- Points/G: 115.5
- Field Goal %: 46.4
- 3-Point %: 36.9
- Free Throw %: 75.6
- Rebounds/G: 43.9
Why Portland Trailblazers are a good bet -3?
The Portland Trail Blazers‘ 27-19 record has them about 5 games behind the Denver Nuggets and 2 games behind Oklahoma City in the Northwest. The Trailblazers can hang with anyone.
At home, Portland’s especially dangerous, going 16-10 against the spread. The Trailblazers are healthy with only Maurice Harkless listed as questionable. That means the backcourt of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard can toss the rock to underrated center Jusuf Nurkic all night. A healthy Portland squad should easily handle a team like the Pelicans.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Points/G: 112.2
- Field Goal %: 46
- 3-Point %: 35.9
- Free Throw %: 81.5
- Rebounds/G: 48
- Points/G: 110
- Field Goal %: 45.6
- 3-Point %: 36.9
- Free Throw %: 75
- Rebounds/G: 43.9
NBA Betting Trends for Pelicans vs Trail Blazers
- New Orleans is 4-1-1 ATS in the last 6 games
- New Orleans is 4-2 SU in the last 6 games
- The total went OVER in 5 of New Orleans’s last 7 games on the road
- Portland is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games
- Portland is 5-2 SU in the last 7 games
- The total went UNDER in 16 of Portland’s last 23 games
Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Final NBA Betting Analysis
New Orleans can run and gun with the best of them, but there’s a reason Warrior basketball only works for the Golden State Warriors. New Orleans ranks third in points scored per game. They rank twenty-seventh in points allowed per game.
Portland’s got the team that can keep up with New Orleans. Even though the Pelicans have an edge at the center position with Anthony Davis, heck with Davis they’ve got an edge in the entire front court, Nurkic is good enough to at least score with Davis. He might not have the defensive skills, but he can score with the possible MVP.
In the backcourt, nobody on New Orleans can hang with either McCollum or Lillard. That’s where Portland will take over this game. Davis will get his, but McCollum and Lillard will control the tempo and the matchup’s flow. The Trailblazers win and cover.
NBA Betting Pick: Portland Trailblazers -3
