Two high-scoring teams square off on Sunday’s NBA slate as the Portland Trail Blazers (31-36) make the road trip to meet with the New Orleans Pelicans (32-35). Both teams are coming off a loss and will be hungry for a win in this tightly-contested matchup. Check out our NBA odds series for our Trail Blazers-Pelicans prediction and pick.
The Portland Trail Blazers are outside of the play-in tournament at 13th place in the West but are still managing to provide exciting games per usual thanks to their franchise star Damian Lillard. They’ve gone just 3-7 in their last 10 and have lost their last two leading into this one. They’ll be looking to have better luck against the Pelicans, a team they’ve struggled with in recent meetings.
The New Orleans Pelicans sit at 11th-place in the West and will hope to go on a few winning runs to jump a position and contend for the play-in tournament. They’ve seen a spike in success but have had trouble staying healthy throughout the season. With a number of injuries, they’ll look to bounce back with a win after losing their last game at home to the Thunder.
Here are the Trail Blazers-Pelicans NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Trail Blazers-Pelicans Odds
Portland Trail Blazers: -2.5 (-114)
New Orleans Pelicans: +2.5 (-106)
Over: 229 (-110)
Under: 229 (-110)
How To Watch Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans
TV: Regional Coverage
Stream: NBA League Pass, fuboTV
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 4:00 p.m. PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread
Portland hasn’t been performing well this season as far the the W-L column goes, but they’ve been able to provide some memorable moments and exciting games. They played very well their last time out and held the 76ers to a one-point margin despite being sizable underdogs. Anfernee Simons has been particularly hot and scored 34 in that game. With the way they contended on the boards and on defense, it’s no surprise that they’re small road favorites in this one. Look for Damian Lillard to perform here as he’ll be playing against his former teammate CJ McCollum.
The Trail Blazers have been good about breaking short losing skids with wins and they’ve gone 34-33 ATS on the year. As the favorites, they’re 19-12 SU and will be so tonight by a small margin. They’ve gotten edged by this Pelicans in their last few meetings (1-4 SU in the last five), but could have a small advantage here given all the injuries to the Pelican’s roster. Look for them to continue their assault from three and get hot against the Pelicans. Justise Winslow continues to be out, Lillard is listed as ‘probable’.
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread
Zion continues to miss time for the Pelicans and now Brandon Ingram will be sidelined once more after aggravating his lingering injury. Larry Nance Jr. continues to be ‘questionable’ for this game – having him in the lineup would provide a big boost for the Pelicans on the boards with his 6 RPG. They’ll have a size advantage down low and should look for Jonas Valanciunas to anchor them in the paint. The Pelicans will also be the better defensive team in this one and will have their home fans cheering them on.
The Pelicans have been a good home team at 21-12 SU and 18-15 ATS. However, they’re dealing with a number of injuries and haven’t been living up to those standards. In their last nine games, they’ve gone both 2-7 against the spread and straight-up alike. They turned the ball over 22 times in their last game and will have to be more vigilant with the rock, making crisp passes to get their guys open and driving to the hoop.
Final Trail Blazers-Pelicans Prediction & Pick
This will be a fun matchup as CJ McCollum and Dame Lillard share the floor once again. Typically, the Pelicans would have the edge in this matchup, especially being the home team. They play better defense and have a lot of scoring options, but they’ll hardly be healthy coming into this one. Their recent streak hasn’t been pretty, so the prediction is for the Portland Trail Blazers to get the win on the road and cover.
Final Trail Blazers-Pelicans Prediction & Pick: Portland Trail Blazers -2.5 (-114)