New Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trail Blazers NBA Picks, Odds, Predictions 2/17/21

The Portland Trailblazers and the New Orleans Pelicans collide at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday night.

The Portland Trailblazers have been one of the hottest teams in the league as they’ve won seven of their past eight games and they will be gunning for a season-high sixth straight victory after last night’s 115-104 road win over the Thunder. Damian Lillard led the way once again with 31 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, Gary Trent Jr. continued his strong form with 19 points on eight of 16 shooting while Anfernee Simons chipped in with 15 points in just 18 minutes off the bench. As a team, the Trailblazers shot 43 percent from the field and 20 of 47 from the 3-pointline as they set the tone with their defense by holding the shorthanded Thunder to just 21 points in the first quarter to jump out to an early double-digit lead, before cruising in the second half.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have been in decent form as they’ve won five of their last eight games and they will be looking to stay hot after snapping a three-game skid with last night’s 144-113 road win over the Grizzlies. Zion Williamson led the way with 31 points on 13 of 16 shooting, Josh Hart drained six 3-pointers to finished with 27 points off the bench, Brandon Ingram scored 22 points with seven assists while Lonzo Ball chipped in with 13 points and five assists. As a team, the Pelicans shot a ridiculous 61 percent from the field and 19 of 38 from the 3-point line as they took a narrow lead at halftime with 34 points in the second quarter, before exploding in the second half where they outscored the Grizzlies by 81-55.

Looking at the betting trends, the Trailblazers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record, 7-2 ATS in their last nine road games and 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall. The Pelicans are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games playing on zero days’ rest, 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games and 2-7 ATS in their last nine home games against a team with a winning road record.

Head to head, the Trailblazers are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings overall and the Trailblazers are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings in New Orleans.

The Trailblazers are still going to be severely shorthanded, but they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league with Lillard leading the way. The Pelicans are a streaky team as they had lost three in a row before last night’s impressive win over the Grizzlies, so they’ll be feeling confident here. I’ve been on the Trailblazers who have been good for me during this run, but with all their injuries, I don’t know how they’re going to match up with the Pelicans if they get hot. This one could go either way, but I’m sticking with the Trailblazers to pull off the minor upset here.