The Portland Trail Blazers (8-3, 5-1 Away) will try to slow down one of the NBA’s top scoring teams when they head to face the New Orleans Pelicans (6-5, 2-1 Home) on Thursday. Both teams will be playing the second of a back-to-back. The Trail Blazers are 1-1 without rest, while the Pelicans are 0-1. Portland defeated the Charlotte Hornets 105-95 at Spectrum Center yesterday.
With 26 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, Damian Lillard had a standout performance. The Trail Blazers are one game back in the Western Conference, currently sitting in second. New Orleans triumphed yesterday at United Center, beating the Chicago Bulls 115-111. Brandon Ingram scored 22 points to top the scoresheet.
With 21 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists, Jonas Valanciunas also produced a strong performance. The Pelicans are the eighth seed in the Western Conference. This is the first meeting of the season between the teams. New Orleans swept all three matchups between the teams last season, the last of which was a 127-94 triumph at Smoothie King Center on April 7, their third straight head-to-head victory.
CJ McCollum led the Pelicans with 23 points, while Willy Hernangomez added 17 points and 14 rebounds. Drew Eubanks had 20 points in the loss. Anfernee Simons is averaging 22.0 points per game, best in the NBA, to lead the Blazers in scoring this season. Meanwhile, Josh Hart is dishing 4.7 assists per game, most in the league, and Jusuf Nurkic is grabbing 11.2 rebounds per game (6th).
Zion Williamson has been the primary provider for the Pels on offense, averaging 22.7 points per game. He is the top scorer in the NBA. Valanciunas is collecting 10.5 rebounds per game, most in the NBA, and McCollum is distributing 6.2 assists (1st). With 118.2 points per game, the Pelicans are one of the top scoring offenses in the NBA (3rd).
The Trail Blazers are 3-7 in their last 10 games at Smoothie King Center. Portland is 7-3 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +1.2 (108.8-107.6). New Orleans has split the last 10 (5-5), scoring 117.0 points per game on average while holding opponents to 114.9 (+2.1 margin).
TRAIL BLAZERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Assists per game:
Damian Lillard: 6.5 | 5.1 | +1.4
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Trey Murphy III: 7.4 | 11.5 | -4.1
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Over 225.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
