The New Orleans Pelicans invade the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night. Here’s a Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans Prediction. This article will include a Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans Pick.
New Orleans Pelicans Betting Preview
The New Orleans Pelicans have cooled off lately as they are now on a five-game losing streak after getting trampled by the Rockets in a 134-102 home defeat on Sunday. Dejounte Murray led the team with 19 points and six assists on eight of 14 shooting; Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey each scored 18 points, while Derik Queen chipped in with 13 points off the bench. As a team, the Pelicans shot 43 percent from the field and nine of 29 from the 3-point line as they had no answers for the Rockets early on and got outscored by 39-18 in the second quarter to fall behind big right away and things didn’t get much better in the second half, where they leaked another 66 points to suffer one of their biggest defeats of the season.
Portland Trail Blazers Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers have been on a nice run as they’ve won seven of their last nine games overall and they will be aiming for a third straight victory after beating the Clippers in a 114-104 road win on Tuesday. Jrue Holiday led the team with 30 points on 10 of 21 shooting, Deni Avdija added 28 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Tounami Camara chipped in with 17 points. As a team, the Trail Blazers shot 45 percent from the field and 15 of 45 from the 3-point line, but this win was set up by their effort on defense as they were always in control after restricting the Clippers to just 15 points in the second quarter.
Why the Portland Trail Blazers will win
- The Pelicans have lost 15 of their last 16 road games when playing with a rest advantage.
- The Trail Blazers have won nine of their last 10 games against Western Conference opponents that held a losing record.
- The Trail Blazers have covered the spread in each of their last four games against opponents who are on the first leg of a back-to-back.
- The Pelicans have failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven games against Trail Blazers teams that held a winning record.
Why the New Orleans Pelicans will win
- The Pelicans have won each of their last seven games when playing with a rest advantage against the Trail Blazers.
- The Trail Blazers have lost nine of their last 10 games when playing with a rest disadvantage against the Pelicans.
- The Pelicans have covered the spread in eight of their last nine road games against Western Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- The Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four games against Southwest Division opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the Pelicans’ last seven night games at Moda Center has gone UNDER the total points line.
- Seven of the Trail Blazers’ last eight home games against the Pelicans have gone UNDER the total points line.
Trail Blazers vs Pelicans Prediction
The Pelicans have ruled out Bryce McGowens and they have listed Karlo Matkovic and Trey Murphy III as questionable. These teams have already met three times this season, with the Trail Blazers leading the series by 2-1. The Trail Blazers enter this contest as the team in better form, especially following their upset win over the Clippers on Tuesday, while the Pelicans are in another slump after suffering a fifth straight defeat on Sunday. The Trail Blazers seem like the clear favorites at home, but the Pelicans haven’t played since Sunday and I just get the feeling they could pull off the upset in this spot.