The New Orleans Pelicans hit the road and travel to the Moda Center to test the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
The Pelicans have lost 14 out of their last 15 games and after snapping a franchise-worst 13-game losing streak against the Minnesota Timberwolves last week, they returned to their losing ways by losing to the depleted Golden State Warriors. On the other hand, the Portland Trail Blazers continue to march to the .500 mark. Portland has rattled off four straight wins and are victors in five out of their last six contests. The Blazers are now 14-16 on the season and they look to extend a four-game home winning streak.
The Pelicans were glad that their 13-game losing streak ended against the Minnesota Timberwolves last week. But before they could gather any momentum and put together a string of victories, New Orleans lost to the injury-hit Golden State Warriors on Friday night in a battle of the worst teams in the Western Conference.
The Pelicans got 25 points each from Brandon Ingram and Jrue Holiday plus they cut a 20-point deficit down to three at 78-81 at the end of the third period. However, the Warriors won behind D’Angelo Russell’s clutch shooting and the Pelicans lost for the 14th time in their last 15 assignments.
The Pelicans rank 12th in the league in scoring at 111.9 points per game and they are 17th in rebounding at 45.0 boards grabbed per contest. New Orleans ranks 12th in passing at 24.7 assists per game and they are the third-worst team in the NBA when it comes to scoring defense at 118.5 points per game allowed.
The Portland Trail Blazers have rattled off four straight wins, their longest winning streak of the current season. The Blazers now have won six out of their last nine games and they have moved to within two games of hitting the .500 mark for the first time this season with their 14-16 SU record.
The Blazers got 29 points from Damian Lillard who continues to wax hot this season but it was Hassan Whiteside who made the difference in their Saturday win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Whiteside scored 16 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and blocked seven shots. He is the NBA leader in blocks with 73 shot blocks this season.
The Blazers rank 8th in the NBA in scoring at 112.8 points per game this season. They are 6th in rebounding at 46.7 boards grabbed per contest and they are also 30th in the league in passing at only 20.0 assists per game. Portland has the 10th worst scoring defense this season at 113.4 points per game allowed.
New Orleans is 1-14 SU in their last 15 games played. The Pelicans are 3-12 SU in their last 15 games played on the road. Portland is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The Blazers are 4-1 SU in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Blazers are 3-1 SU in their last four games played against the Pelicans. Portland is also 14-4 SU in their last 18 home games against New Orleans.
The Pelicans only have one win in their last 15 games played and lost 13 in a row during that period. With Zion Williamson nowhere in sight, this looks like a lost season for the Pelicans despite Brandon Ingram having a fantastic year. New Orleans blew a 20-point lead and lost to Golden State in their last outing.
The Blazers have found their rhythm and they are now just two games behind the .500 mark after a slow start. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum continue to light up the scoreboards but it has been the scoring of Carmelo Anthony that has given the team a big boost since his arrival in Oregon.
New Orleans is in a bad spot here. The Blazers won the first three games of this current homestand and they have won five out of their last seven at the Moda Center. New Orleans has won just 3 out of their first 15 games on the road and I don’t think they will get better in this game. I like the Blazers’ backcourt to lead them to another home win here.
Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers
The Pelicans are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games played. New Orleans is 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games played on the road. The Blazers are 3-2-1 ATS in their last six games played. Portland is 6-6-2 ATS in 14 home games played this season, and 4-2 ATS in their last six games played against the Southwest Division. Head to head, the Pelicans are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Blazers but Portland is 3-1 ATS in the last four meetings.
Carmelo Anthony didn’t play in the Blazers’ last game against the Wolves because of a knee issue and is listed as day to day. But Damian Lillard is averaging 32 points per game in their last three games and the Blazers are 2-0-1 ATS in those games with three home wins. I think Dame stays hot in another home game for Portland. The Blazers are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 home games as betting favorites. They are also 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight home games played in December.
Prediction: Blazers
The total has gone under in 9 out of the last 13 games played by the Pelicans. New Orleans has seen the total go under in seven out of their last eight games against the Western Conference, and 5-1 in their last six games played against the Northwest Division. The total has gone under in five out of the last seven games played by the Blazers. The under is 4-1 in Portland’s last five games against the Southwest Division, and 10-4 in their last 14 games played in December. Head to head, the under is 2-1 in the last three meetings between these two teams.
The Pelicans have scored 107 or fewer points in their last three games played and 103 or fewer points in five out of their last nine losses. The Blazers have allowed not more than 114 points in their last seven games, including 104.5 points per game in their last two assignments. Both these teams are in the bottom 10 in scoring defense but the Pelicans have struggled offensively in December as they’ve topped 110 points only three times in 10 games since December 3rd.
Prediction: Under 231
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