It was a rough start for the New Orleans Pelicans, who dropped their season opener 111-95 against defending NBA champion Golden State on Tuesday night. The Pelicans return tonight in Portland as they play the second game of a back-to-back road trip to start the season.
The Blazers were ravaged by free agency as two of last season’s starters in LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews walked away to greener pastures. But they still have emerging star Damian Lillard to power the backcourt. Running mate C.J. McCollum is also there to give him some support.
It’s going to be an exciting Western Conference showdown. Check out some of our previews for Wednesday’s biggest games in the Spurs vs. Thunder and Pacers vs. Raptors.
[sc:NBAArticles ]New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview
Where: Moda Center, Portland
When: Wednesday, October 28, 10:00 PM ET
Line: New Orleans Pelicans (+2.5) at Portland Trail Blazers (-2.5); total 206.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis had quite a dud in the New Orleans Pelicans’ season opener, going 4 of 20 for 18 points. He added six rebounds and three blocks, but also had a team-high five turnovers. Davis made 10 of his 18 points from the free throw line as he struggled with his shot for most of the game.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Having no solid point guard to feed Davis the ball may be to blame. Jrue Holiday, who will be limited to 15 minutes per game, didn’t even step on the court for Tuesday night’s season opener. Instead, Nate Robinson started with an unspectacular effort going 0-for 1 with just three assists and five personal fouls. Ish Smith had some moments in the game, going 7 of 13 for 17 points with nine assists and three steals.
Considering Smith can have a solid effort, shooting guard Eric Gordon will be able to focus on scoring rather than making plays for his teammates. Typically a spot-up three-point shooter, Gordon was limited to 2 of 7 from beyond the arc against Golden State. He was 5 of 17 overall for 14 points with four rebounds and four assists.
The Pelicans remain as Davis’ team. He’ll likely have a better effort this time around against Portland. He averaged 19 points, 8.7 rebounds and four blocks per game in three matchups against the Blazers last season. Davis is due for a bigger outing against a Blazers team, which will not have last year’s starting power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
New Orleans has lost six of its last seven on the road, going 2-5 ATS.
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers
Gone are four-fifths of last season’s starters for the Portland Trail Blazers. LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez all left in free agency, while small forward Nicolas Batum was shipped to Charlotte in a trade. The Blazers are left with All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, who’s coming off his best season after averaging 21 points and 6.2 assists per game last season.
Considering how the Pelicans were torched by Stephen Curry for 40 points last night, Lillard may have an explosive performance against the same New Orleans lineup. He was spectacular in this matchup last season averaging 20 points and six assists per game in three meetings.
Lillard will have a familiar face back in C.J. McColllum, who broke out in last year’s playoffs to the tune of 17 points per game on 48 percent shooting (48 percent from beyond the arc).
The Blazers aren’t necessarily toothless heading into the new season. They brought in a few established veterans in Gerald Henderson and Al-Farouq Aminu. They also added big men Mason Plumlee and Ed Davis to fill-in the void left by Lopez and Aldridge. The starting frontcourt of Plumlee and Meyers Leonard may struggle to keep tabs on New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, who will be determined to make up for last night’s dud.
Portland swept last year’s season series, 3-0 SU/ATS, against the Pelicans.
Writer’s Prediction
Davis makes up for his horrible outing and powers New Orleans (+2.5) to its first victory this season. Create a betting account now and enjoy the brand new season of hoops action.
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