Subscribe
Follow Us
The New Orleans Pelicans will travel across the border to take on the Toronto Raptors in a Thursday night NBA matchup at the the Scotiabank Arena. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Pelicans-Raptors prediction and pick, laid out below.
New Orleans has fallen back to Earth with a 30-29 record, seventh place in the Western Conference. The Pelicans surprised and made the playoffs last season, losing in six games to the Phoenix Suns. Following an embarrassing 10-game losing streak, New Orleans has gone 4-2 in their last six games.
Toronto has struggled to a 28-31 record, sitting in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto has won five of their last six games. Head coach Nick Nurse has made the playoffs in three of his first four seasons as head coach, but that is in danger right now.
Here are the Pelicans-Raptors NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Pelicans-Raptors Odds
New Orleans Pelicans: +6 (-112)
Toronto Raptors: -6 (-108)
Over: 226 (-110)
Under: 226 (-110)
How To Watch Pelicans vs. Raptors
TV: Bally Sports New Orleans, The Sports Network
Article Continues Below
Stream: NBA, NBA League Pass
Time: 7:40 PM ET/ 4:40 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread
Zion Williamson is showing out and leads the team with 26.0 points on 60.8 percent shooting. Williamson has also grabbed 7.0 rebounds per game, which is second on the team. Here’s the bad news, Williamson is out indefinitely. CJ McCollum leads the team with 5.9 assists and ranks third with 21.1 points per game. McCollum is shooting 38.5 percent from behind the three-point line. Brandon Ingram, despite playing in just 24 games, is second on the team with 22.4 points and 4.9 assists per game. Jonas Valanciunas leads the team with 9.7 rebounds and ranks fourth with 14.4 points per game, narrowly missing a double-double. Trey Murphy III’s production has increased along with his usage, averaging 12.9 points per game.
New Orleans has registered an impressive 8.5 steals per game, which is second in the league, but Toronto leads the league in fewest turnovers. New Orleans ranks 19th with 35.5 percent shooting from behind the three-point line, and has put up a ton of points. The Pelicans rank 11th in the league with 114.9 points averaged per game. New Orleans’ defense has been solid, ranking 16th with 113.5 points allowed per game.
Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread
Pascal Siakam leads the team with 25.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and ranks second with 6.1 assists per game. Siakam missed ten games earlier in the season but has been healthy since. O.G. Anunoby leads the team with 2.1 steals per game, also ranking fourth with 16.9 points per game. Anunoby is questionable in this one. Fred Van Vleet’s hot shooting has cooled off a bit, yet he still ranks second on the team with 19.7 points while leading the team with 6.6 assists per game. Gary Trent Jr. is third with 18.6 points and is second with 1.7 steals per game. Scottie Barnes has put up 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. Chris Boucher, the team’s main weapon off the bench, has put up 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The team has missed Otto Porter Jr., who is now out for the season following foot surgery.
Toronto doesn’t turn the ball over much, ranking first with just 11.8 turnovers per game. The team has averaged 113.3 points per game, which ranks 19th in the league. The defense has been strong, with Toronto leading the league with 9.3 steals per game. Opponents have averaged 112.5 points per game, which ranks 11th in the league.
Final Pelicans-Raptors Prediction & Pick
Toronto will take advantage of the missing production for the Pelicans.
Final Pelicans-Raptors Prediction & Pick: Toronto -6 (-108), over 226 (-110)
