New Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trail Blazers 02/21/20 NBA Betting Odds and Pick

The New Orleans Pelicans visit the Moda Center for a showdown with the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

The Pelicans try to get back on track after their loss to the Thunder just before the All-Stat Break. New Orleans won three straight games before that defeat. The Pelicans are 5.5 games behind the conference 8th seed. Meanwhile, the Blazers continue to struggle with injuries. Damian Lillard suffered a groin last week and is still expected to sit out this game.

A Healthy Zion

The Pelicans have won six out of their last nine games and with a healthy Zion Williamson, New Orleans has started to pick up wins lately. They are coming off a loss to the Thunder but won three in a row before that defeat. Williamson scored a career-high 32 points in a losing effort.

Williamson has scored at least 30 points in his last two games played and he’s set and rest his career-high in scoring in both games. J.J. Redick shot his way to 24 points for the Pelicans while All-Star Brandon Ingram has missed the team’s last three games with a right ankle sprain.

The Pelicans are scoring an average of 115.8 points per game this season, 5th overall in the league. They are 28th in scoring defense at 117.3 points per game allowed. New Orleans is also 5th in rebounding at 46.6 boards grabbed per contest and they are 5th in passing at 26.3 dimes per contest.

The Portland Trail Blazers head home with a big task at hand. Portland is chasing the 8th seed in the Western Conference and right now, they are four games behind the Memphis Grizzlies. The problem with the Blazers is that their All-Star guard Damian Lillard is out with a right groin strain.

Lillard leads the Blazers in scoring at 29.5 points and 7.9 assists per game this season. C.J. McCollum is backing Dame up with 21.3 points and 3.8 assists per game while Hassan Whiteside is putting up a double-double season with 15.7 points and 14.1 rebounds per contest. Carmelo Anthony and Trevor Ariza are also averaging in double-digit scoring.

The Blazers are ranked 8th in the league in scoring at 113.4 points per game this season. They are 10th off the boards with an average of 45.8 rebounds per contest but are ranked last in passing at only 20.0 assists per game. Portland has the 5th worst scoring defense in the league this year at 115.3 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

The Pelicans are 6-3 SU in their last nine games played. New Orleans is 5-1 SU in their last six games played on the road. The Blazers are 2-4 SU in their last six games played. Portland is 5-0 SU in their last five games played at home, and 8-4 SU in their last 12 February games. Head to head, the Pelicans are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played against the Blazers but Portland is 14-5 SU in their last 19 home games against New Orleans.

New Orleans is playing much better basketball right now with Zion healthy. Brandon Ingram is probable to return for the Pelicans as well. Damian Lillard missed the All-Star game due to a groin injury and is still expected to be out for this game. Without Dame, the Blazers are a little bit challenged. The Pelicans meanwhile have played well since Zion’s return.

Both these teams are coming off losses but the Pelicans won three games before their loss to the OKC Thunder. Zion Williamson is proving his worth and he has put up back to back 30-point games before the All-Star break. The Blazers are also without their superstar here. I’ll go with the Pelicans.

Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans

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Other Bets to Make

New Orleans is 13-6-1 ATS in their last 20 games played. The Pelicans are 2-1-1 ATS in their last four games played on the road, and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games against the Northwest Division. Portland is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Blazers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Pelicans are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Blazers.

You have to like Nw Orleans here because not only have they covered well in their last 20 games, they will be playing with a healthy Zion Williamson who has put up back to back 30-point games. On the other hand, the Blazers will be without Damian Lillard again. Lillard begged off from the All-Star game to rest the injury and it’s highly probable he won’t play here. He is scoring nearly 30-points per game for Portland and no matter how I envision the game, the Pelicans are going to outscore the Blazers here and cover the spread.

Prediction: Pelicans -4.5

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The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by the Pelicans. The over is 3-1 in New Orleans’ last four games played on the road, and 10-3 in their last 13 games played against the Western Conference. The total has gone over in 11 out of the last 14 games played by the Blazers. Portland has seen the total go over in three out of their last five games played at home, and the over is 6-1 in their last seven February games. Head to head, the over is 5-3 in the last eight meetings between these two teams.

The Pelicans are the 5th highest-scoring team in the league and they have the third-worst scoring defense in the NBA. New Orleans has seen the total go over 240 in each of their last five outings. Portland has scored at least 115 points in six out of their last 10 games played. New Orleans has poor defense and the Blazers have plenty of scorers that can light up the scoreboard.

Prediction: Over 238.5

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