New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena — Oklahoma City, OK
When: Sunday, December 4, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Line: New Orleans Pelicans (+5.5) at Oklahoma City Thunder (-5.5); total: 213.0 – view all NBA lines
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Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans (+5.5)
The Pelicans’ first 20 games this season is about going hot and cold. After opening with eight straight defeats, they gained some steam by winning six of their next eight. Now, they are slowly falling off again, as they have lost three of their last four, one of which was a 10-point loss to the league’s last placed team, Dallas Mavericks.
That inconsistency, of course, is reflecting on the stat sheet, especially on offense. The Pels are currently 22nd in scoring (102.5 PPG) and 23rd in offensive rating.
It’s simply one of the usual downsides of relying on your star player too much, which is clearly what the team is doing. Anthony Davis has the fourth highest usage rate in the NBA, and he’s been shouldering a heavy workload, pouring in 31.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game on 51.7-percent shooting (he leads the league in PPG and BPG).
Jrue Holiday has come back well and has emerged as the solid number two guy (16.1 PPG and 6.0 APG on a career high 47.7 percent shooting), but there’s still cloud of doubt as to whether he can stay healthy, since he has missed a total of 118 games since signing with the team in 2013.
As they prepare for the Thunder, though, everyone must play a larger role on defense. Holiday, along with Tim Frazier, E’Twaun Moore, and the other guards (or forwards) will be tasked to contain Russell Westbrook, while Davis and the other big men, will have to step up on boxing out. The Pelicans allow the second most RPG (47.8) and they’re going up against the fifth-best rebounding team in the league.
The Pels are 5-1 SU and ATS in their last six games at home.
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (-5.5)
The Thunder are looking to continue building their great momentum. They are fresh off a 126-115 OT win over the Washington Wizards, marking their fourth straight victory. The team is now 12-8 in the season.
Russell Westbrook, as expected, is piling up the stats, averaging 31.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 11.2 assists per game. He currently leads the NBA in double-doubles, with 16, while his nine triple-doubles are just two short of matching the whole league.
Although he leads the league in usage rate, the Thunder are not like the Pelicans. They put up points well, ranking seventh in scoring (108 PPG). Also, Westbrook has better help than Davis, with Victor Oladipo headlining that list. The fourth-year man from Indiana is getting more and more comfortable with his role. In his last 10 games, ‘Dipo is netting 18.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on 52.2-percent shooting.
The dirty work down low is being decently done by their set of bigs, namely Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, and Domantas Sabonis. Along with Westbrook, the trio is powering the Thunder into ranking eighth in offensive rebounds (10.8), and fifth in defensive rebounds (34.9).
In battling the Pelicans Sunday night, the matchup in the paint can go either way, but Westbrook should have a favorable matchup with the guards.
OKC is 8-4 SU (7-5 ATS) at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Thunder win, 113-104.
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