The New Orleans Pelicans (26-20, 9-14 Away) will try to break down one of the NBA’s top scoring defenses when they are on the road to face the Miami Heat (25-22, 14-9 Home) on Sunday.
New Orleans lost to the Orlando Magic 123-110 at Amway Center on Friday, their third loss in a row. CJ McCollum was a top performer in the loss with 23 points and seven assists.
The Pelicans are fourth in the Western Conference. Miami lost in blowout fashion on Friday at American Airlines Center, falling to the Dallas Mavericks 115-90.
Victor Oladipo had 20 points in the loss to lead the team. The Heat are seventh in the Eastern Conference. The teams are meeting for the last time this season.
Miami will be seeking a season sweep against New Orleans after getting the win in the only prior matchup 124-98 at Smoothie King Center on Wednesday, their fifth straight head-to-head victory. Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 26 points.
McCollum had 21 points in the loss. McCollum is averaging 21.3 points per game to lead the Pels in scoring this season. McCollum also has dished 5.8 assists per game. Meanwhile, Jonas Valanciunas is grabbing 9.8 rebounds.
Jimmy Butler (21.7 ppg), Adebayo (21.5), and Tyler Herro (20.6) have supplied much of the Heat’s offense. Adebayo also has pulled down 10.1 rebounds per game, ninth-most in the league. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry has tallied 5.5 assists per game.
The Heat are one of the top scoring defenses in the league, ranking second with 108.7 points per game allowed. The Pelicans are only 2-8 in their last 10 games at FTX Arena. Miami is looking for a fourth consecutive home win this season.
In the last 10 games, New Orleans is 3-7 with an average margin of -4.8 (112.2-117.0). Miami has a 6-4 record over the last 10, scoring 108.2 points per game on average while allowing 105.2 (+3.0 margin).
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Naji Marshall: 24.0 | 16.7 | +7.3
Larry Nance Jr.: 9.6 | 14.9 | -5.3
Points per game:
Jonas Valanciunas: 21.2 | 14.9 | +6.3
Rebounds per game:
Larry Nance Jr.: 3.6 | 5.4 | -1.8
HEAT HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Gabe Vincent: 24.4 | 14.7 | +9.7
Kyle Lowry: 15.0 | 22.7 | -7.7
Points per game:
Kyle Lowry: 6.0 | 12.7 | -6.7
Assists per game:
Kyle Lowry: 3.0 | 5.5 | -2.5
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
NO Pelicans (+230)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
