San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Pelicans 01/22/20 NBA Betting Odds and Pick

The San Antonio Spurs head to the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday night for a Southwest Division matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Spurs have won five out of their last eight games played and are currently fourth in the Southwest Division with their record of 19-23. San Antonio is one-half game off the playoff pace in the West. The Pelicans have won 11 out of their last 16 games played and they are 5th in the Southwest Division with a record of 17-27. New Orleans is in 12th place in the Western Conference team standings, 3.5 games behind the 8th seeded Memphis Grizzlies.

Spurs Have Won Five of Eight

The San Antonio Spurs started the season slow and while they are making progress, they are still one-half game out of playoff contention. The Spurs have won 14 out of their last 26 games after suffering an eight-game losing streak last November. They have won five out of their last eight games and head to New Orleans coming off a win over the Phoenix Suns.

Derrick White scored a season-high 25 points for the Spurs while Bryn Forbes added 24 points for San Antonio including a big three-pointer that gave the Spurs the lead for good. Lamarcus Aldridge contributed 19 points while DeMar DeRozan scored 18 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and issued 8 assists against Memphis.

The Spurs rank 8th overall in team scoring at 113.7 points per game this season. They are 26th in scoring defense at 114.7 points per game allowed. San Antonio ranks 7th off the glass at 46.1 rebounds per contest and they are 12th in passing with an average of 24.9 assists per game.

Zion to Make His NBA Debut

The New Orleans Pelicans are expected to play Zion Williamson on Wednesday night against the Spurs. Williamson was the #1 overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft but suffered a knee injury in the Summer League and missed the start of the season. His return should be an added boost to a Pelicans team that has lost just five times in their last 16 games played.

Aside from Zion’s NBA debut, the Pelicans are glad to have Jrue Holiday back. Holiday came back from a seven-game absence to score 36 points in the Pelicans’ win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Holiday sank seven three-pointers and New Orleans made a franchise-best 21 three-pointers against the Grizzlies.

The Pelicans are the 5th highest-scoring team in the league at 114.4 points per game this season. New Orleans is 11th overall in rebounding at 45.9 boards grabbed per contest and they are 8th in passing at 25.5 assists per game. The Pelicans have the second-worst scoring defense in the NBA at 117.6 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

The Spurs are 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played. San Antonio is 3-3 SU in their last six games played on the road, and 2-5 SU in their last seven games against the Southwest Division. New Orleans is 10-4 SU in their last 14 games played. The Pelicans are 2-2 SU in their last four games played at home, 2-6 SU in their last six games played against the Southwest Division, and 5-2 SU in their last seven January games. Head to head, the Spurs are 4-2 SU in their last six games played against the Pelicans.

The Spurs have played better in recent weeks. San Antonio lost eight consecutive games in November but are 14-12 SU since then. They nearly blew a 20-point lead against the Suns on Monday night but are glad to carry a “W” to New Orleans against a Pelicans team that will debut their new franchise player.

New Orleans has played better too after a 13-game losing streak. The Pelicans have won 11 out of their last 16 games. They got Jrue Holiday back in their last game after he missed seven games with a concussion. They are also expected to parade Zion Williamson for the first time against San Antonio.

The spotlight is on the Pelicans here as Zion makes his debut 13 weeks after undergoing surgery on his left knee. New Orleans has been playing well lately and Williamson’s return should give them an added boost. Add the fact that they are playing at home where the fans have been long anticipating Zion’s debut. I don’t think there will be a letdown here.

Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans

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Other Bets to Make

San Antonio is 6-3 ATS in their last nine games played. The Spurs are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games on the road. New Orleans is 8-1 ATS in their last nine games played. The Pelicans are 4-0 ATS in their last four games played at home. Head to head, the Pelicans are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Spurs. New Orleans is also 9-1 ATS in their last 10 home games against San Antonio.

The Pelicans have outscored the Spurs by an average of 3.7 points per game in their last 10 head to head meetings. In a game where we don’t expect the teams to play much defense, you have to give it to the squad that has the more dynamic and explosive offense. In this particular game, it’s the Pelicans who have that.

Prediction: Pelicans -3.5

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The total has gone over in 11 out of the last 16 games played by the Spurs. The over is 4-2 in San Antonio’s last six games played on the road, and the over is 5-2 in their last seven games against the Western Conference. The total has gone over in 10 out of the last 11 games played by the Pelicans. New Orleans has seen the total go over in each of their last five games played. Head to head, the over is 2-1 in the last three meetings between these two teams.

These teams have combined to score an average of 242.33 points per game in their last three meetings. Both these teams are in the Top 8 in the league in scoring and these two teams are also in the Bottom 5 in scoring defense. San Antonio has seen the total go over 236 in two out of their last three games while New Orleans has been over 236 in four out of their last five outings. Add in Zion Williamson’s debut and this should be a scoring contest.

Prediction: Over 236.5

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