The New Orleans Pelicans (29-27, 20-9 Home) will try to break down the NBA’s top scoring defense when they welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers (35-22, 12-16 Away) on Friday. Cleveland blew out the Detroit Pistons 113-85 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday, their fourth consecutive win.
Jarrett Allen led the way with 20 points and 14 rebounds. The Cavaliers are fourth in the Eastern Conference. New Orleans won their third in a row on Tuesday at Smoothie King Center, beating the Atlanta Hawks 116-107. Brandon Ingram had 30 points and eight assists, leading the team. The Pelicans are eighth in the Western Conference.
The teams are meeting for the last time this season. After winning the only earlier season game against New Orleans 113-103 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on January 16, Cleveland will be pursuing a season sweep. Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 30 points, while Allen added 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. CJ McCollum had 25 points in the loss.
Donovan Mitchell is averaging 26.8 points per game, 10th-highest in the NBA, to lead the Cavs in scoring this season. Meanwhile, Garland is dishing 8.1 assists per game, sixth-most in the league, and Allen is grabbing 9.8 rebounds per game.McCollum (21.3 ppg) has supplied much of the Pels’ offense.
McCollum also has recorded 5.9 assists per game. Jonas Valanciunas has pulled down 9.8 rebounds per game. Holding opponents to 106.2 points per game, the Cavaliers are the best scoring defense in the league. The Cavaliers have not found any success at Smoothie King Center in recent seasons, winless in the last 10 games.
New Orleans has won three straight at home this season.Cleveland is 7-3 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +12.1 (112.6-100.5). For the season, the Cavaliers are averaging 111.8 points per game, compared to 106.2 for opponents. New Orleans has a 3-7 record over the last 10, allowing 112.8 points per game on average while scoring only 111.1 (-1.7 margin).
CAVALIERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Ricky Rubio: 17.5 | 12.3 | +5.2
Points per game:
Jarrett Allen: 18.6 | 14.4 | +4.2
Donovan Mitchell: 15.5 | 26.8 | -11.3
Rebounds per game:
Caris LeVert: 6.0 | 4.0 | +2.0
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Larry Nance Jr.: 21.2 | 15.9 | +5.3
Points per game:
Trey Murphy III: 18.0 | 13.1 | +4.9
Rebounds per game:
Larry Nance Jr.: 9.4 | 6.0 | +3.4
Assists per game:
Brandon Ingram: 7.0 | 5.1 | +1.9
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Cleveland Cavs (-150)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
