New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview
Where: Moda Center – Portland, OR
When: Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 10:30 PM ET
Line: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers – total: TBA – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: KGW/ESPN
NBA News & Predictions
- 2017 NBA Draft Expert Picks and Predictions
- 2017 NBA Draft Sleepers
- 2017-18 NBA Championship Odds Update
Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans (33-48)
Point Spread: ALL GAME LINES HERE
With Anthony Davis (knee) and DeMarcus Cousins (achilles) out with injuries, the Pelicans fell to the Lakers, 108-96. Rookie Cheick Diallo came off the bench to tally a game-high 19 points, 11 rebounds, and a pair of blocks on 9-for-10 shooting.
The team’s twin towers are likely to be out again for the regular season finale, which means that we could see Diallo or one of the other guys have a productive night.
The Pels are ahead in their season series with the Blazers, 2-1. They compile 105.7 points and a fairly efficient 50 percent shooting in those contests, but the most notable, by far, is their 28 total blocks (9.3 BPG). Though Davis is not expected to be present in the lane this Wednesday, Diallo, Alexis Ajinca, Donatas Motiejunas, and Dante Cunningham, who are all not lacking in size, could still continue the team’s shot-blocking party.
New Orleans has lost five straight games SU and ATS.
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (41-40)
Point Spread: ALL GAME LINES HERE
Spirits should be high in the Blazers’ locker room right now. They have earned a spot for the playoffs and are coming off a thrilling, last-second, 99-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs. With the victory, they improved to 17-5 since the start of March (SU and ATS).
Portland averaged nine less points (108 PPG to 99 PPG) and shot seven percent worse (46 percent to 39 percent) than their season stats against the Pelicans this season. We may see similar numbers tomorrow night since the backcourt duo of the team – Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum – are likely to sit out for the second straight game for resting purposes. The supporting cast made 41.1 percent last night without the two.
With that, we can expect any available Blazer to suddenly explode and score. Yesterday, all starters were in double figures, highlighted by Shabazz Napier scoring 32 points (career-high) and seven assists, Noah Vonleh posting a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double plus the game-winning lay-up, and seldom-used Pat Connaughton chipping in a career-best 15 points and three threes.
Writer’s Prediction
The Blazers win, 106-102.
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