Celtics vs Pelicans Odds, Pick, Prediction | NBA Betting Preview (Saturday, March 30)

Here's everything you need to know about Celtics vs. Pelicans on Saturday, Mar. 30 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.

The Celtics will travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans after a tough overtime loss to the Hawks. Can Boston get back in the win column, or will New Orleans hand the Celtics their third loss in a row?

Let's dive into our Celtics vs. Pelicans pick.

The Celtics are coming off back-to-back losses to the Hawks and have pretty much transitioned into “Let’s make it into the playoffs healthy” mode for the next few weeks of the season. I really wouldn’t put much stock into the loss to Atlanta; it's fairly clear Boston is not playing with much urgency right now given its situation.

Maybe the Celtics come out here with a bit more motivation coming off two straight losses, but in general this is not a team I want to be backing since they have virtually nothing to play for anymore.

The Pelicans have played the Thunder, Bucks and now the Celtics in what has been a brutal schedule for them this week. These games are important tests for the Pelicans to prove to themselves and the league they are legitimate playoff contenders, so I’d expect them to treat this game with urgency.

The last time these two matched up, the Pelicans played their A-game and had the lead for most of the game but ended up losing because of a severe math disadvantage in terms of 3-point attempts and makes. New Orleans' offense shot an elite 59% from the mid-range (93rd percentile) and actually made more total shots than Boston, but the Celtics made 17 3s to the Pelicans' 10. Their defense didn’t allow offensive rebounds, transition opportunities or rim attempts, but they just simply couldn’t keep up with the Celtics from the perimeter.

It’s hard to envision that being different this time around considering the Pelicans will be without Brandon Ingram, who has been one of their better shooters all season long. The bull case for New Orleans here is the reality that this game means much more to them than it does to this Celtics squad that is clearly just trying to stay healthy heading into the postseason now that they have clinched the 1-seed.

At the current price of Pelicans +5.5, I would back New Orleans given these teams' respective situations. I’d play this down to +4.5.

Pick: Pelicans +5.5 (Play to +4.5)

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