NBA Basketball: New Orleans Pelicans VS Portland Trail Blazers Pick and Predictions 03/27/2023

Game: 10:10 PM ET, Monday, March 27th, 2023

Venue: Moda Center at The Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon

TV:  NBA League Pass

Pelicans: 37-37, 8th place Western Conference

Blazers: 32-42, 13th place Western Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pelicans -10.5, O/U 226.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Pelicans -11, O/U 226.5

Fanduel: Point Spread:  Pelicans -11, O/U 226.5

Pelicans: PG CJ McCollum, SG Trey Murphy III, SF Brandon Ingram, PF Herbert Jones, C Jonas Valanciunas

Blazers: PG Damian Lilliard (DD), SG Shaedon Sharpe, SF Matisse Thybulle, PF Nassir Little, C Jusuf Nurkic (DD)

A Western Conference mismatch… However the favorites in this mismatch have not exactly been a good team this year… or even lately?.  Still it’s a mismatch because the Underdogs are awful and will be missing key pieces to injury… so they are less than awful.  The New Orleans Pelicans were playoff darlings last season while they were missing PF Zion Williamson… This season they have floundered while they are missing PF Zion Williamson (they are always missing Zion Williamson).  The simple reason is that the surprise players from last season are no longer surprises to anyone.  They also have failed to find a starting point guard and now must play their best SG at PG and their backup SF at SG… and their utility player (Herbert Jones) at PF when he is more likely best as a guard… It’s all a little confusing… BUT at 8th place in the standings the Pelicans are still capable of making the playoffs and hopefully finding magic once again (maybe in a surprise 1 or 2 game appearance from Zion… you know before he injures himself again).  The Portland Trail Blazers all have vacation plans because the Playoffs are not happening no matter how well they do over the last 7-8 games of the season. From here they are treating starting minutes like an audition for next year… Cam Reddish bombed… Shaedon Sharpe will get a “call-back”.  They still have future Hall of Famer PG Damian Lilliard but that is really it as Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant will be missing games.  The great betting opportunity here is in deciding if we are about to see a Pelicans blow-out win… or a Pelicans whimper of a win?

The New Orleans Pelicans have won 6 of their last 10 games… BUt are on a very satisfying 4-game win streak.  Health has played a role in the Pelicans regaining form… the front office hopes that form is good enough.  They won their last game over the Los Angeles Clippers 131-110.  They blew out a good team.  In the win they got 32 points each from SF Trey Murphy III and SF Brandon Ingram… Plus they got 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists from PG CJ McCollum.  That is the formula.  Those three guys will need to have big games for Pelicans wins… It also opens the door for teams to swoop in to try and pry Trey Murphy III away if the Pelicans don’t find a way to move away from Zion Williamson in their long term plans.

The Portland Trail Blazers have won only 2 of their last 10 games and 1 of those was against Detroit.  They went 4-6 ATS during that stretch.  They lost their last game to the OKC Thunder 118-112… covering a 10 point spread.  In the win they got 29 points from PG Shaedon Sharpe and 28 points from backup PF Nassir Little.  SF Kevin Knox II had 11 points & 5 rebounds in 15 minutes of play which helped the losing Blazers cover that spread.  Once again SF Cam Reddish was the worst Blazers to take the court on a per minute basis.  Wave goodbye to Cam kids… he’ll be in Europe soon.

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Our prediction for Monday, March 27th is…. Pelicans 122 - Blazers 100

Pelicans blow-out coming.  Yes, a double digit spread is usually a bet the other way… but in this case a healthy Pelicans team will take an unhealthy Blazers team to the woodshed.  Bet on the Pelicans. 

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The Pelicans are 3-0 ATS as a road favorite of 6.5 to 12 points this season.

The Blazers are 3-8 ATS as a home underdog this season.

Pelicans: SG CJ McCollum.  CJ was a Blazer for a long time.  He did great work there alongside Damian Lilliard.  He will get up for a matchup with his old team and he will have much more support than whoever plays with Damian… If Damian even plays.

Blazers: PF Nassir Little.  Nassir dropped deep in his 2019 draft… Originally thought to be a late lottery guy… Nassir plummeted to 25th.  His first 3 seasons in the league did nothing to disprove that selection.  These are his last few games to make a statement or he will go completely ignored as a RFA.  He is undersized with a long wingspan… so his mantra for staying in this league should be “Defense, Defense, Defense”.

Pelicans: Willie “C’mon guys!” Green

Blazers: Chauncey “Joe Cool” Billups