| Tues, Dec 21<\/th>\n | NBA Betting Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|
| Point Spread:<\/td>\n | New Orleans Pelicans -2.5 vs Portland Trail Blazers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Total:<\/td>\n | 217.5 Points<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Game Time:<\/td>\n | 8:10pm ET \/ 5:10pm PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Arena:<\/td>\n | Smoothie King Center<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| TV:<\/td>\n | Bally Sports New Orleans<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nNew Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trail Blazers Analysis<\/h2>\nPortland Trail Blazers (13-18, 11th in NBA – West) and New Orleans Pelicans (10-21, 14th in NBA – West) will gather at the Smoothie King Center tonight in the Big Easy for some New Orleans style hoops. Brandon Ingram and Damian Lillard and the featured attractions in this Western Conference showdown.<\/p>\n The Trail Blazers picked up a significant victory Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies in a 105-100 win. The victory marked the second straight that followed a five-game losing streak. Despite trailing by 11 early, Lillard and the Blazers finished the first quarter strong. Lillard accounted for 16 of the team\u2019s 28 points, connecting on 4-of-6 shots from the field.<\/p>\n “This is a big-time win for us,” Blazers coach Chauncy Billups told the post-game media. “I thought we just showed great resolve. It could have gone a lot of different ways. We just kept fighting. Everybody knows about our struggles on the road thus far in the season. We’re understanding now how hard we have to play to be able to compete in this league, and now we’re starting to play with a little more from the neck up a little bit — play a little smarter.”<\/p>\n On Sunday night, the Pelicans were in Philadelphia for a contest against the East’s Sixers. The game never saw tipoff and postponed COVID health and safety protocols. Since Friday, New Orleans hasn’t played an official game and is well-rested heading into tonight’s contest. Devonte’ Graham didn’t miss a beat following his 60-foot bank shot in Oklahoma City this past Wednesday. Graham hit eight 3-pointers and added two late-game free throws in overtime to finish with 26 points in a 116-112 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.<\/p>\n “What I see is that we’re growing, and early in the season, we were giving ourselves an opportunity, but we were falling short,” Pelicans first-year coach Willie Green said. “Now we still have a ton of games left ahead of us, but I like what we’re doing. We’re starting to find our rhythm, starting to find what environments that we can play in down the stretch of games.”<\/p>\n The DraftKing Sportsbook positioned the visiting Blazers as 1-point favorites in the visitors’ role despite owning a road mark of 2-11. Following a seven-game losing streak, Portland closed their most recent homestand with a 125-116 straight-up victory against the spread cover over the Charlotte Hornets. The first stop in the team’s short two-game road trip found the Blazers earning a 105-100 win and ATS cover against a red-hot Memphis Grizzlies squad.<\/p>\n New Orleans Pelicans<\/h3>\nPortland Trail Blazers<\/h3>\nNew Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report<\/h2>\nPortland Trail Blazers New Orleans Pelicans New Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction<\/h2>\nFor only the second time in December, the Blazers held an opponent to 100 points or fewer. In addition, the Blazers contested nearly 65 percent of the Memphis shot attempts at the rim and inside the arc, holding the Grizzlies to just 28.5 percent shooting from the field.<\/p>\n If there is an indicator that a team is beginning to be cohesive, it comes with evidence that a squad is defending at a high level. Memphis sharpshooter Desmond Bane was held to just 1-of-8 from distance in the Blazers Sunday win on the Mississippi while shooting over 40 percent on the season entering the affair.<\/p>\n Jusuf Nurkic and Larry Nance Jr. are controlling the paint and are working a two-person frontcourt pseudo pick and roll that makes the backcourt of Portland dangerous with wide-open looks from the perimeter.<\/p>\n Powell has picked up a large share of injured CJ McCollum’s missed scoring. Powell registered his fifth 20-point performance in his last seven games.<\/p>\n While the Pelicans have continued improving and growing this season without Zion, the Blazers are experiencing positive regression. They are in line to pick up another win before heading home for a trio of tough outs with matchups against the Nets, Mavericks, and the Jazz.<\/p>\n The WagerTalk pick to click on Tuesday night in the Big Easy is a play on Lillard and Co. plus the small handicap.<\/p>\n \n |
![\"Tuesday's](\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/nbasstue.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n