The New Orleans Pelicans (25-51) and Portland Trail Blazers (39-38) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 10:00 p.m. ET from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The game will be broadcast live on KUNP.
The Blazers are 6.5-point favorites over the Pelicans on the spread (Trail Blazers -6.5), with the over/under set at 232.5 total points. Portland is a -250 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while New Orleans is +205 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers predictions and NBA picks for Thursday, April 2.
Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Prediction, Pick
- Pelicans vs Trail Blazers pick: Over 232.5 (-106)
My Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans best bet is on the game to go over 232.5 total points. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Odds
| Pelicans Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -112 | 232.5 -106o / -114u | +205 |
| Trail Blazers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -108 | 232.5 -106o / -114u | -250 |
Pelicans vs Trail Blazers NBA Preview
I project the total for tonight's game between the Pelicans and Trail Blazers at 234 points. So, I will be on the Over in this spot — and in terms of pricing, I wouldn't be surprised to see this number rise a little bit.
Under interim head coach James Borrego, the Pelicans are relentlessly attacking the rim, which is something you want to see when it comes to betting Overs — and the Blazers play a pretty similar style of ball.
Therefore, this could be a high free-throw type of game, which means lots of clock-stoppages and high-percentage shots near the hoop.
So, I think this is an Over-spot. The only part that gives me some pause is the fact that both teams are well-rested. New Orleans is on three days' rest, and Portland is on one day of rest.
This is the lone game on the slate where neither side is in a three-games-in-four-nights situation — and generally, when we see rest spots like this, the defense tends to improve.
However, there's a caveat to this. If you look at line movement trends, totals are starting to move down on second nights of back-to-backs and three-of-four situations, mainly because lines are being repriced according to injury reports like we saw with Jalen Brunson and the Knicks on a second night of a back-to-back yesterday.
Even though lines might be a little bit more volatile than usual in terms of movement right now, I don't expect this one to to move much given the rest situation — and this line already appears to be priced as if both teams are on short rest or will have players added to the injury report as tipoff approaches.
Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Predictions, Betting Analysis
More rest usually means more defensive awareness of your assignment, more pregame film sessions, and more willingness to lock in on the defensive end. At this point of the season, all these guys are exhausted. Every extra day of rest matters and should be accounted for in the handicap.
I believe Dejounte Murray will play for New Orleans tonight, given the Pelicans are coming off three days of rest — meanwhile, I also don't see any reason why Deni Avdija or Jrue Holiday would sit out for the Blazers.
So, most of the guys that I value the most when it comes to the Over in this spot should all be there; the drivers that attack the rim.
The market appears to be over-indexing on Unders in general at the moment — but at a price tag of over/under 232.5 total points, this should be an Over-spot. I project this line at 234.
Pick: Over 232.5 (-106, FanDuel)
Spread
I'm not taking either side of the spread.
Moneyline
I have no play on the moneyline here.
Over/Under
My Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers betting prediction is over 232.5 total points.
