Pelicans vs 76ers Prediction NBA Picks 3/8/24

Philadelphia 76ers (35-27) vs New Orleans Pelicans (37-25)

Game Info: Friday, March 8, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Wells Fargo Center)

Betting Odds: Philadelphia 76ers +8.5 -- Over/Under: 226

The New Orleans Pelicans travel to the Wells Fargo Center to battle the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. Here’s a Pelicans vs 76ers Prediction.

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans have been in decent shape as they've won three of their last four games overall and they will be eager to keep it going after making light work of the Raptors in a 139-98 road win on Tuesday. Trey Murphy drained a career-high 10 3-pointers to lead the team with 34 points off the bench, Herbert Jones added 17 points while Zion Williamson chipped in with 16 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. As a team, the Pelicans shot 50 percent from the field and a sizzling 24 of 49 from the 3-point line as they set the tone with 42 points in the first quarter to take the early double digit lead, before they restricted the Raptors to just 17 points in the second quarter to take a 23-point lead into halftime that only grew as the game wore on. The Pelicans will meet the Hawks and Cavaliers after this one.

Philadelphia 76ers

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers have been in a slump as they've lost six of their last nine games overall and they will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting beaten by the Grizzlies in a 115-109 loss on Wednesday. Kelly Oubre Jr led the team with 25 points on seven of 21 shooting off the bench, Paul Reed added 17 points with 11 rebounds and three blocks while Cameron Payne chipped in with 16 points. As a team, the 76ers shot just 38 percent from the field and 13 of 35 from the 3-point line as they dominated most of the game to lead by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, only to let their hard work go to waste in the fourth quarter where they scored just 16 points to allow the Grizzlies to run them down with time to spare.

Philadelphia 76ers Player Facts

• Tobias Harris ranks 1st amongst qualified Forwards for FT% (89.2%) this season.
• Buddy Hield ranks 28th amongst qualified players for three-pointers made Per Game (2.8) this season.

New Orleans Pelicans Player Facts

• C.J. McCollum ranks 4th amongst qualified players for three-pointers made Per Game (3.4) this season.
• Herb Jones ranks 7th amongst qualified players for 3P% (43.6%) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The 76ers rank 1st in the league for steals per game this season (8.5).
• The 76ers rank 1st in the league for opponent steals per game this season (6.0).
• The Pelicans rank 1st in the league for opponent three-point percentage this season (34.5%).
• The Pelicans rank 29th in the league for opponent three-point field goals attempts per game this season (38.8).

Pelicans vs 76ers Prediction

The Pelicans have all their key players healthy once again, while the 76ers are still missing Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The Pelicans have come to life with a pair of blowout wins on the trot and you have to like their chances of making it three in a row against a 76ers team missing two of their best players. The line is hefty, but the Pelicans really shouldn't have too much trouble getting the win and cover the way they've been playing lately.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.