Portland Trailblazers (12-23) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (7-30)
January 8, 2025 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: New Orleans Pelicans -2.5; Over/Under: 226.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Portland Trail Blazers invade the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. Here’s a Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Prediction. This article will include a Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Pick.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have been in poor form as they’ve lost 11 of their last 15 games overall and they will be looking to bounce back after coming up just short of the Pistons in a 118-115 road defeat on Monday. Anfernee Simons led the team with 36 points and nine assists on 14 of 21 shooting, Shaedon Sharpe added 20 points with eight rebounds and eight assists while Deandre Ayton chipped in with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. As a team, the Trail Blazers shot 53 percent from the field and 16 of 35 from the 3-point line as they jumped all over the Pistons from the start and looked to be in full control after leading by 22 points. The Trail Blazers allowed the Pistons to hang around, and it cost them in the second half where they allowed 67 points to suffer their worst defeat of the season so far.
New Orleans Pelicans
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans looked like they were starting to turn things around with a couple of wins in a row before they fell back down to Earth with a 104-97 defeat to the Timberwolves last night. Dejounte Murray led the team with 29 points, six assists, and six steals, Zion Williamson added 22 points with six rebounds and four assists while Jose Alverado chipped in with 13 points off the bench. As a team, the Pelicans shot just 37 percent from the field and 12 of 41 from the 3-point line as they kept pace with the Timberwolves in the first half, before they went cold in the third quarter. That allowed the Timberwolves to start to pull away. Yves Missi had a rough game as he shot just one of seven from the field for his two points. CJ McCollum will want to forget that he shot one of 14 from the field to finish with just five points. The Pels will meet the 76ers after this game.
Why the New Orleans Pelicans will win
- The favorites have won each of the Pelicans’ last 14 games.
- The Trail Blazers have lost each of their last seven road games against Western Conference opponents.
- The Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine games at Smoothie King Center following a loss.
- The favorites have covered the spread in each of the Pelicans’ last four games.
Why the Portland Trail Blazers will win
- The Pelicans have lost each of their last 14 games following a home loss.
- The Trail Blazers have won each of their last two games as underdogs against the Pelicans following a loss.
- The Pelicans have failed to cover the spread in nine of their last 10 games as favorites against Western Conference opponents.
- The Trail Blazers have covered the spread in each of their last four games as underdogs against the Pelicans.
Total Points Facts
- Nine of the Pelicans’ last 10 games against opponents who are on the first leg of a back-to-back have gone OVER the total points line.
- Eight of the Trail Blazers’ last 10 road games against Western Conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Prediction
The Trail Blazers are still shorthanded with Jerami Grant ruled out and Deni Avdija listed as questionable, while the Pelicans are still missing Trey Murphy and Brandon Ingram. The Trail Blazers haven’t been able to build any momentum lately and you could say the same about the Pelicans who are starting to get some players back healthy. This is another game that I would rather avoid as I don’t trust either team, but the Pelicans will turn things around sooner or later. I think they are healthy enough to take down this struggling Trail Blazers at home.
