The New Orleans Pelicans invade the Scotiabank Arena to do battle with the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. Here’s a Raptors vs. Pelicans Prediction. This article will include a Raptors vs. Pelicans Pick.
New Orleans Pelicans Betting Preview
The New Orleans Pelicans have been in decent form as they’ve won five of their last nine games overall, but they will be hoping to put a halt to a three-game skid after getting trounced by the Pistons in a 129-108 road loss last night. Zion Williamson led the team with 21 points on eight of 13 shooting, Saddiq Bey added 17 points, and Jeremiah Fears chipped in with 13 points and six assists off the bench. As a team, the Pelicans shot 46 percent from the field and nine of 25 from the 3-point line as they did a job of staying within striking distance despite a poor shooting night, but that all changed in the fourth quarter, where the Pelicans got outscored by 37-22 to get blown out on the road.
Toronto Raptors Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors have been in a rut as they’ve lost three of their last four games overall and they will be hoping to bounce back here after getting routed by the Clippers in a 119-94 road defeat on Wednesday. Brandon Ingram led the team with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Sandro Mamukelashvili added 13 points off the bench, while RJ Barrett chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Raptors shot 42 percent from the field and 10 of 29 from the 3-point line as they got off to a terrible start and almost immediately fell behind by double digits and things only got worse in the second half, where the deficit ballooned to 29 points as they had no answer for the Clippers.
Why the Toronto Raptors will win
- The Pelicans have lost each of their last 12 road games against Eastern Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- The Raptors have won each of their last six home games following a road loss.
- The Pelicans have failed to cover the spread in each of their last six road games on the second leg of a back-to-back against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Raptors have covered the spread in seven of their last eight home games following a loss.
Why the New Orleans Pelicans will win
- The Raptors have lost 12 of their last 13 games against Southwest Division opponents following a loss.
- The Pelicans have won three of their last four games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
- The Pelicans have covered the spread in each of their last four games against Raptors teams that held a winning record.
- The Raptors have failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven home games against Western Conference opponents that held a losing record.
Total Points: Facts
- Each of the Raptors’ last five games against Southwest Division opponents has gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of the Pelicans’ last four games at Scotiabank Arena following a road loss has gone UNDER the total points line.
Toronto Raptors Player Facts
- Scottie Barnes is the only player in the league to have recorded 25+ rebounds in a game this season.
- Jamal Shead ranks 9th amongst qualified players for assists per 36 minutes (8.5) this season.
New Orleans Pelicans Player Facts
- Zion Williamson ranks 1st amongst qualified players for points in the paint per game (15.7) this season.
- Herb Jones is one of only two players in the league to have recorded 8+ steals in a game this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Raptors rank 30th in the league for Q4 points per game this season (25.9).
- The Raptors rank T1st in the league for Q3 win percentage this season (59.7%).
- The Pelicans have recorded the largest comeback win from an HT deficit this season—trailing by 22 points vs. the Rockets on December 18.
- The Pelicans rank 1st for points in the paint (4250) this season.
Raptors vs Pelicans Prediction
The Pelicans are still missing Bryce McGowens and they are keeping an eye on Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III who are both listed as day-to-day, while the Raptors have ruled out Immanuel Quickley again. The Pelicans were starting to heat up before they lined up with three tough opponents in the Cavaliers, Knicks and Pistons, which resulted in three straight defeats. Similarly, the Raptors have gone cold despite being relatively healthy and they didn’t look good in their blowout defeat to the Clippers on Wednesday. The Pelicans are playing this game on zero days’ rest, which isn’t ideal, but with the line so high, I will take the Pelicans to keep this game close and maybe even pull off the upset on the road.