The New Orleans Pelicans (47-34) and San Antonio Spurs (47-34) get their Western Conference schedules going at Smoothie King Center. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, and will air on Fox Sports – New Orleans.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 211 points with New Orleans opening as a 3.5-point favorite.
San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans Free Prediction
The Spurs will be looking for a similar result after topping the Sacramento Kings in their last game, 98-85. San Antonio made good use of their 29 trips to the charity stripe, making 24 of them (82.8 percent). Sacramento, meanwhile, was just 11-17 (64.7 percent). San Antonio rallied around LaMarcus Aldridge, who recorded 15 points and 14 rebounds.
In the Pelicans’ last matchup, they beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 113-100. The Pelicans had an extraordinarily low turnover percentage of 6.3 (better than their season average of 12.9), while the Clippers had a free throw rate of 0.082 (below their season average of 0.225). With 24 points and 16 rebounds, New Orleans’ Nikola Mirotic had a good performance.
It will be a matchup of conflicting tempos as the fast-breaking Pelicans will look to push the more methodical Spurs. The Pelicans rank second in possessions per game while the Spurs are 30th.
San Antonio comes into the contest with records of 47-34 straight up (SU) and 41-36-4 against the spread (ATS). Just over half of the Spurs’ games have finished under the O/U total.
Meanwhile, New Orleans is 47-34 SU and 44-36-1 ATS. Of the Pelicans’ 81 games, 47 have finished over the O/U total.
A number of players have played well over the last five games for San Antonio. Aldridge has led the way, averaging 27.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Rudy Gay (14.6 points and 1.6 steals) and Patty Mills (14.6 points and 3.8 assists) have also been outstanding.
The Pelicans lead the season series against the Spurs two games to one, but fell short the last time these two teams met, 98-93. New Orleans covered as a 5-point underdog and the game finished with a total of 191 points, which was 28.5 points below the projected point total of 219.5 points. The Spurs had a better turnover percentage (8.5 vs. 12.6) and had a better offensive rebounding percentage (26.8 vs. 24.5). Despite the loss, Jrue Holiday was a standout player in the game, putting up 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans Betting Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Spurs, ATS Winner – Spurs, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
San Antonio is 15-22-3 ATS on the road with 22 unders, 17 overs and 1 push.
New Orleans is 18-21-1 ATS at home with 27 overs and 13 unders.
New Orleans is 11-2 when they hold opponents under 100 points, while San Antonio is 32-10.
In games where they reach 100 points, the Pelicans are 44-22 and the Spurs are 36-14.
San Antonio averages 13.2 second chance points per game, which ranks eighth in the NBA. New Orleans ranks last in second chance points allowed per game (13.8).
The Spurs rank fourth in three pointers allowed per game (26.4) while the Pelicans rank 25th (30.7).
New Orleans ranks third in fast break points per game (15.0) while San Antonio ranks 23rd (10.2).
The Spurs rank 10th in points allowed in the paint per game (43.7) while the Pelicans rank 26th (47.8).
San Antonio ranks ninth in rebounds per game (44.3) while New Orleans ranks 24th in rebounds allowed per game (45.6).
The Spurs rank fifth in assists allowed per game (21.7) while the Pelicans rank 18th (23.8).
New Orleans averages 8.0 steals per game, which ranks ninth in the league. San Antonio ranks 13th in steals allowed per game (7.5).
The Spurs average 16.2 points off turnovers per game, which ranks 17th in the league. The Pelicans rank 20th in points off turnovers allowed per game (17.2).
San Antonio is second in the league with 3.9 blocks allowed per game while New Orleans is fourth with 4.2 blocks allowed per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, San Antonio is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
New Orleans is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Spurs’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 5.6, up from 3.2 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pelicans have scored an average of 117.6 points per game (6.0 above their season average) and allowed an average of 105.4 points per game (5.2 below their season average).
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