Portland Trail Blazers (23-16) vs New Orleans Pelicans (17-23)
Game Info: Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 10:00 pm (Moda Center at the Rose Quarter)
Betting Odds: Portland Trail Blazers -1 -- Over/Under: 241.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: NBC Sports Northwest, Fox Sports New Orleans Stream live sports and exclusive originals on ESPN+. Sign up now!
The New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers meet Thursday in NBA action at the Moda Center.
The New Orleans Pelicans need a win after losing six of their last nine games. The New Orleans Pelicans are averaging 115.9 points on 48.7 percent shooting and allowing 115.7 points on 47.5 percent shooting. Zion Williamson is averaging 25.6 points and 6.9 rebounds while Brandon Ingram is averaging 23.9 points and 5.1 rebounds. Lonzo Ball is the third double-digit scorer and Eric Bledsoe is dishing 3.8 assists. The New Orleans Pelicans are shooting 35.8 percent from beyond the arc and 73.2 percent from the free throw line. The New Orleans Pelicans are allowing 39.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 46.6 rebounds per game.
The Portland Trail Blazers look for a win after winning five of their last seven games. The Portland Trail Blazers are averaging 115.1 points on 44.8 percent shooting and allowing 115.6 points on 47.9 percent shooting. Damian Lillard is averaging 30.5 points and eight assists while CJ McCollum is averaging 25.5 points and 3.9 rebounds. Gary Trent Jr. is the third double-digit scorer and Carmelo Anthony is grabbing 3.4 rebounds. The Portland Trail Blazers are shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc and 83.4 percent from the free throw line. The Portland Trail Blazers are allowing 37.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 43.6 rebounds per game.
The Pelicans are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog. The Trail Blazers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The over is 29-6 in Pelicans last 35 overall. The over is 4-1 in Trail Blazers last 5 overall. The Pelicans are 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings in Portland and 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
The New Orleans Pelicans continue to be one of the more disappointing teams in the league and I'm sure blowing a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter against these Trail Blazers doesn't help with the confidence. The Portland Trail Blazers finding a way to win Tuesday's meeting should do wonders for this club and getting a more in shape McCollum only helps as well. McCollum should play better now that he has a game under his belt. Either way, I'll take the Trail Blazers in this near pick em contest.
Randy’s Pick Portland Trail Blazers -1
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds