New Orleans Pelicans vs Los Angeles Clippers NBA Picks, Odds, Predictions 3/14/21

The Los Angeles Clippers invade the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Clippers have been searching for consistency as they’ve lost four of their last six games, but they will be feeling better after arresting a three-game slide with a 130-104 home win over the Warriors on Thursday. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists, Paul George added 17 points with seven rebounds and five assists while Serge Ibaka chipped in with 16 points and 14 rebounds. As a team, the Clippers shot 45 percent from the field and 18 of 41 from the 3-point line as they took control of the game by holding the Warriors to just 17 points in the second quarter to take a double-digit lead, before putting the game to bed in the third quarter where they poured in 45 points to lead by as many as 39 points.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have been in a rut as they’ve lost five of their last seven games, but they will be looking to build some momentum after blowing past the Cavaliers in a 116-82 home win on Friday. Brandon Ingram led the team with 28 points on 11 of 14 shooting, Zion Williamson added 23 points in just 18 minutes of action while Nickeil Alexander-Walker chipped in with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists off the bench. As a team, the Pelicans shot 46 percent from the field and just six of 24 from the 3-point line as they dominated the first half to lead by 21 points going into halftime, before putting the game out of reach in the third quarter where they held the Cavaliers to just nine points.

Looking at the betting trends, the Clippers are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games against a team with a losing record, 1-4 ATS in their last five road games and 5-11 ATS in their last 16 Sunday games. The Pelicans are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against a team above .600 and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games as a home underdog.

Head to head, the over is 4-1 in the last five meetings overall, the Clippers are 7-20 ATS in the last 27 meetings in New Orleans and the Clippers are 3-7 ATS in the last 10 meetings overall.

The Clippers will once again be without Patrick Beverley, while the Pelicans are still without JJ Redick. The Clippers haven’t been at their best lately as they had lost three in a row before putting it all together in a dominant win over the Warriors, while the Pelicans were really struggling to beat anyone before their massive home win over the Cavaliers. I want to believe that the Pelicans can pull off the upset here, but the Clippers are clearly the better team and should win easily unless Williamson or Ingram have a monster game.