Trail Blazers vs Pelicans Prediction NBA Picks 3/16/24

The Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans meet Saturday in NBA action at the Smoothie King Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans prediction.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers have been in a rut as they've lost five of their last seven games overall and they will be hoping for a better performance after getting thrashed by the struggling Knicks in a 105-93 loss on Thursday. Deandre Ayton led the team with 31 points and 14 rebounds on 12 of 21 shooting, Dalano Banton added 16 points while Scoot Henderson chipped in with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. As a team, the Trail Blazers shot 40 percent from the field and 11 of 33 from the 3-point line as they got off to a slow start, scoring just 16 points in the second quarter to trail by as many as 22 points, before they went on a late run to keep the final scores respectable in the end.

New Orleans Pelicans

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have been in great form as they've won five of their last six games overall and they will be eager to keep it going after outlasting the Clippers in a 112-104 home win last night. Zion Williamson led the team with 34 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Trey Murphy added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench while Brandon Ingram chipped in with 13 points and seven assists. As a team, the Pelicans shot 48 percent from the field and 13 of 35 from the 3-point line as they squandered an 11-point lead when they allowed 36 points in the third quarter, but they didn't panic and made up for it in the fourth quarter as they held the Clippers to just four points in the final 4:45 to escape with the gritty home win. The Pelicans will play against the Nets after this game.