The Portland Trail Blazers (0-1) go head-to-head with the New Orleans Pelicans (1-0) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter in game two of the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The game starts at 10:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, and will air on TNT.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 214 points with Portland set as a 6.5-point favorite.
New Orleans Pelicans at Portland Trail Blazers Betting Prediction
Davis scored a game-high 35 points in game one, in which the Pelicans, who were 5-point underdogs, beat the Trail Blazers 97-95. He also recorded 14 rebounds. The game finished with a total of 192 points, which was 24 points below the projected point total of 216 points. New Orleans’ 0.523 effective field goal percentage was its biggest strength over Portland, who had a rate of 0.439.
New Orleans could have a difficult time creating turnovers. Portland ranks eighth in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 13.1 percent), while New Orleans forces the ninth-fewest turnovers (13.3 percent). Also, the sweet-shooting offense of the Pelicans ranks fourth in effective field goal percentage (0.541), while the Trail Blazers are fifth-best in the league at effective field goal percentage allowed (0.503).
New Orleans holds records of 49-34 straight up (SU) and 46-36-1 against the spread (ATS). Of the Pelicans’ 83 games, 48 have finished over the projected point total.
Meanwhile, Portland owns records of 49-34 SU and 45-31-7 ATS. Contrary to New Orleans, games involving the Trail Blazers have a tendency to go under the total (56.6 percent).
Both teams have had a player take their game to the next level over their last five games. Nikola Mirotic (25.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals) has been great for the Pelicans while Jusuf Nurkic (14.8 points, 12.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks) has contributed greatly to the Trail Blazers.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Pelicans, ATS Winner – Pelicans, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
New Orleans is 27-15 ATS on the road with 22 unders and 20 overs.
At home, Portland is 23-15-4 ATS with 23 unders and 19 overs.
Portland is 26-8 when they allow under 100 points, while New Orleans is 13-2.
The Trail Blazers are 44-18 when they reach 100 points, while the Pelicans are 45-22.
New Orleans ranks third in assists per game (26.8) while Portland ranks last (19.5).
The Pelicans rank third in fast break points per game (15.3) while the Trail Blazers rank 29th (8.4).
New Orleans ranks first in points in the paint per game (52.3) while Portland ranks 23rd (43.1).
The Trail Blazers average 13.6 second chance points per game, which ranks sixth in the league. The Pelicans rank 28th in second chance points allowed per game (13.9).
Portland ranks third in rebounds per game (45.5) while New Orleans ranks 25th in rebounds allowed per game (45.6).
The Pelicans average 6.0 blocks per game, which ranks third in the NBA. The Trail Blazers rank 23rd in blocks allowed per game (5.2).
Portland ranks fifth in three pointers allowed per game (26.5) while New Orleans ranks 25th (30.7).
The Pelicans rank eighth in steals per game (8.0) while the Trail Blazers rank 25th (7.0).
Portland ranks fourth in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.7) while New Orleans ranks 21st (17.3).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, New Orleans is 5-0 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Portland is 2-3 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Pelicans’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 12.8, up from 1.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Trail Blazers have scored an average of 95.6 points per game (9.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 98.0 points per game (5.0 below their season average).
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