Defense meets offense when the New Orleans Pelicans (24-14, 17-4 Home) host the Brooklyn Nets (25-13, 12-8 Away) Friday. Brooklyn was defeated by the Chicago Bulls 121-112 at United Center on Wednesday. Kevin Durant had a standout performance in the losing effort with 44 points. The Nets are the second seed in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Boston Celtics.
New Orleans won their fifth in a row at home on Wednesday at Smoothie King Center, beating the Houston Rockets 119-108. CJ McCollum had 28 points and six assists to lead the team. The Pelicans are third in the Western Conference, one game behind the Denver Nuggets.
The teams are meeting for the final time this season. After winning the only previous season meeting against Brooklyn 130-108 at Barclays Center in October 2022, New Orleans will be seeking a season sweep. Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 28 points, while Zion Williamson played a key role with 25 points and nine rebounds. Durant had 32 points and four blocks in the losing effort.
The Nets have been led this season by Durant, who is averaging 29.9 points per game, sixth-highest in the NBA. Durant also has dished 5.5 assists per game. Meanwhile, Nicolas Claxton is grabbing 8.2 rebounds.Williamson’s 26.0 points per game have powered the Pels on offense. Jonas Valanciunas is pulling down 9.6 rebounds per game, and McCollum is doling out 6.0 assists.
The Nets rank as the NBA’s third-best team in offensive efficiency, while the Pelicans are fifth in defensive efficiency. The teams have split their last 10 games at Smoothie King Center (5-5).In the last 10 games, Brooklyn is 9-1 with an average margin of +11.9 (122.3-110.4).
For the season, the Nets are averaging 115.1 points per game, compared to 111.1 for opponents. New Orleans has a 6-4 record over the last 10, scoring 117.7 points per game on average while holding opponents to 115.9 (+1.8 margin).
NETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Joe Harris: 7.0 | 12.6 | -5.6
Points per game:
Seth Curry: 12.0 | 8.7 | +3.3
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Larry Nance Jr.: 3.0 | 16.0 | -13.0
Points per game:
Herbert Jones: 7.0 | 10.1 | -3.1
Rebounds per game:
Larry Nance Jr.: 2.0 | 5.6 | -3.6
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Brooklyn Nets (-175)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
