Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers Pick
Are the New Orleans Pelicans going to get the job done without one of their two best players tonight at the Portland Trail Blazers? Tip-off is at 10PM ET.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Trail Blazers are listed as a 7-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 209 points.
New Orleans enters with an 11-11 overall record and 12-10 ATS after a 114-108 loss at the Jazz. Portland is 13-9 and 8-11-2 ATS following a 103-91 home loss to the Bucks which snapped a three-game win streak. The Trail Blazers won the season’s first meeting 103-93 on their home floor back on Oct. 24. The Pelicans are 3-2 straight up and 3-2 ATS in five meetings since the start of last season. The under is 3-1-1.
In the loss at Utah, Anthony Davis suffered a groin injury in the second half and did not return. He is doubtful to play tonight. DeMarcus Cousins led New Orleans with 23 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Davis contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals prior to the injury. E’Twaun Moore added 18 points and four assists. The Pelicans were outscored 71-53 in the second half.
Jusuf Nurkic accounted for 25 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in the loss to Milwaukee. Damian Lillard had 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. CJ McCollum added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Trail Blazers trailed 60-45 at halftime.
The Pelicans are 1-6 ATS in their last seven meetings in Portland. The under is 9-3-1 in the last 13 meetings.
Bet on Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers
Davis is obviously a major loss for the Pelicans tonight, but the counter argument is that Cousins will have more room to maneuver in the paint. When Davis was hurt earlier this season, Cousins was dominant and New Orleans stayed afloat. If Davis misses additional time, it could get ugly for New Orleans. But in a one-game sample size tonight, New Orleans should have enough energy on a back-to-back to cover a reasonable spread.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS PELICANS +7