NBA Basketball: New Orleans Pelicans VS Toronto Raptors Pick and Predictions 02/23/2023

Game: 7:40 PM ET,  Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

Venue:  Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Canada

TV:  NBA League Pass

Pelicans: 30-29, 7th place Western Conference

Raptors: 28-31, 10th place Western Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread: Raptors -4.5, O/U 225.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Raptors -4, O/U 226

Fanduel: Point Spread:  Raptors -4, O/U 226

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

Raptors: PG Fred Van Vleet, SG Gary Trent Jr, SF OG Anunoby, PF Scottie Barnes, C Pascal Siakam

AN NBA inter-conference battle of teams waiting for something.  The Pelicans are eternally waiting for PF Zion Williamson to be healthy.  If he ever is, the team will be dramatically improved and their starting bench players can go back to the bench.. While their Stars can go back to playing the actual positions they are best at.  Seriously… Brandon Ingram is playing SG when he is best as a SF…to make room for SF Trey Murphy to be on the court when he is best off the bench… and SG CJ McCollum is playing PG when he is best as a shooting guard to make room for Herbert Jones to play Power Forward when he is best at the PG spot?... It is all topsy turvy.  The Toronto Raptors are waiting for the season to be over.  They have a better roster than the Pelicans but are MORE unbalanced…. All Star Pascal Siakam plays Center (because the team had no true center until the trade deadline) when he is best at the Power Forward spot and Scottie Barnes plays Power Forward when he is best as a Point Guard (he is big).  PG Fred Van Vleet plays point guard yet at this point in his career he would be better shooting the 3-point shot from the SG spot… He also would be best traded away to make room for Scottie.  These rosters are unbalanced.. These roster are good, but waiting for something else that is out of their control.  The great betting opportunity here will be found in the numbers.

The New Orleans Pelicans have won only 4 of their last 10 games. They went 4-6 ATS during that stretch.  They are on both fringes… The fringe of a playoff spot (technically the Play In game) AND on the very outer edge of the NBA Draft Lottery chase.  They may not have a great chance at winning C Victor Wembanyama.. But any ping pong balls equal a chance.  They lost their last game to the Los Angeles Lakers 120-102.  In the loss SF Brandon Ingram had 25 points while SG CJ McCollum had 22 points.  C Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points & 11 rebounds… after that was too little from too many.  They need PF Zion Williamson, but that is the story of practically every loss over the last 4 seasons… Good thing they are paying Zion a Max Extension.

The Toronto Raptors have won 6 of their last 10 games.  They were on a 2-game winning streak before the All-star break.  They won their last game against the Orlando Magic 123 - 113 which was a win ATS.  Though they only went 4-6 ATS during that stretch.  In the win over the Magic the Raptors got 30 points from new arrival C Jacob Poeltl and 26 points & 6 assists from Pascal Siakam who finally gets to play Power Forward now that Jacob has arrived from the Spurs. SG Scottie Barnes got 17,6,6.. While PG Fred Van Vleet had 10 points & 15 assists.  The whole league should prepare for a better Raptors team now that Pascal is back in his ideal position of Power Forward. 

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The Pelicans are 11th in scoring with 114.9 points per game, and 9th in rebounds with 44.1 per game. On defense they rank 16th in defense of scoring while allowing 113.5 points per game.  The team is geared for rapid improvement when Zion returns.  Which could be a mixed bag.  Losing in the 1st or 2nd round of the playoffs keeps them out of the lottery and causes the stress of having to trade somebody off of a working team in order to justify trying to get better…

The Raptors are 19th in scoring with 113.3 points per game, 18th in rebounds with 42.8 per game. On defense they rank 11th in defense of scoring with 112.5 points allowed per game.  The Raptors are also geared toward rapid improvement.  They have a really good roster.  Some would say that their deadline trade for Poeltl wasn’t enough?.. But it does solve immediate problems.

Our prediction for Thursday, February 23rd is…. Raptors 119 - Pelicans 114

Bet on the Raptors.  Pascal is back in his appropriate spot… while Scottie Barnes is much closer to his natural role.  The Pelicans should reel off several wins in a row.

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(will update)

Pelicans:  SF Brandon Ingram.  The world has conspired against Brandon Ingram.  That is the only explanation.  A 6’9 two-way player… equally adept at getting 20+ points in a game as he is in getting double digit rebounds.  He is a high quality NBA player.  LeBron James shipped him out of Los Angeles because he didn’t want to wait for maturation.  Ingram didn’t take that long to mature and quickly became the best player on the New Orleans Pelicans… where he is not the most famous player AND he is expected to do his work while eternally waiting for that more famous Pelicans to be healthy (which he rarely is and rarely for very long).  Ingram could be the best #2 option on any  Contending team… If only the team had been able to get him a #1 that stayed on the court.

Raptors:  PG/SF/PF Scottie Barnes.  Scottie is an all around player… part of a new breed of guys with big 6’8 bodies that can either play point guard OR Power Forward.. Depending on what the team needs.  He can score and defend… and he will be the centerpiece of the coming quick rebuild in Toronto.  The team may move Fred Van Vleet and Gary Trent Jr.. but you can bet that the new look will feature Scottie at the Point playing like Magic Johnson Lite.

Pelicans: Willie “We need to sprint” Green

Raptors: Nick “Does anyone still like my hat?” Nurse