Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, Preview, and Odds

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01 January 0001

On Sunday night, the Portland Trail Blazers travel to the Smoothie King Center for a road matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Blazers. The Pelicans are in action Saturday and will be on the second leg of a back-to-back. The tip is slated for 7:10 PM ET. New Orleans opens as a road favorite.

Blazers Lose Late

The Portland Trail Blazers led Philadelphia by 21 points but failed to hold on down the stretch as Joel Embiid buried a jumper late in a 120-119 loss. Portland’s last-second attempt after a timeout was tipped away on the inbound play, with Damian Lillard’s shot coming after the horn. Anfernee Simons led Portland with 34 points on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. Jeremi Grant had 24 points and Lillard had 22.

“We played a tough game and we played physical," Lillard said after the loss. “Defensively, we got stops. When you play against a good team, it's going to come down to those possessions at both ends of the floor. And I thought we competed. We had a lot of good possessions.”

Anfernee Simons was a game-time decision coming into the night after missing seven of Portland's last eight games because of sprained right ankle sprain. He was 5 of 6 on 3s in the first half as Portland hit 26 of its first 38 shots to open up a 21-point lead. A lead they would relinquish in the second half. Matisse Thybulle - who was traded from Philadelphia to Portland as part of a three-team trade at the Feb. 9 trade deadline - made his return to Wells Fargo Center. He had five points in 19 minutes. Portland is five games below the .500 mark and 1.5 games out of the 10th play-in spot.

Pelicans Earn Big Win

The Pelicans earned a big win for their playoff hopes, a 113-106 home win over the Mavericks. C.J. McCollum scored 13 of his 32 points in the final four minutes.

“No excuse, just produce. Figure out a way to get the job done. That’s what it's going to take for us down the stretch,” McCollum said after the game. “Make or miss, I've got to be aggressive for us and make something happen.”

Brandon Ingram left late in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle after scoring 12 points. The Pelicans had no update on Ingram, but he celebrated near the bench with his teammates after the victory and walked out of the arena on his own.

The Mavericks were down by as many as 19 in the third quarter and by double digits well into the fourth. But the Mavs suddenly surged within striking distance with a 12-0 run. The Pelicans withheld it, considering Dallas was without Luka Doncic for three quarters after he left the game. Trey Murphy III scored 16 and Herb Jones and Jaxson Hayes each added 14 points. The club announced before tip-off that All-Star forward Zion Williamson will be out at least two more weeks while he recovers from a Jan. 2 right hamstring injury. They have free fallen from atop the Western Conference standings to play in tournament considering after Zion went down.

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New Orleans played an efficient game against the Dallas Mavericks, punishing them in the paint and coming out with a critical 113-106 win. They are in 10th place in a tightly contested Western Conference playoff race and need every game they can get in order to remain relevant. This is a huge game for both teams, as Portland is right behind them 1.5 games back. The club announced before tip-off that All-Star forward Zion Williamson will be out at least two more weeks while he recovers from a Jan. 2 right hamstring injury. They have free fallen from atop the Western Conference standings and may not have Brandon Ingram for this one. They lack an offensive punch with him out.

Take Portland to win on the money line.

Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers +2.5

Full-Game Total Pick

Rating:

The Pelicans and Blazers have been hovering around the middle of the pack with respect to pace throughout the year. Anfernee Simons has missed a lot of time for Portland, so they have opted to slow the tempo down and operate more half-court sets with Dame. Simons is back and he played very well last game. Portland has struggled all year from the defensive end, coming into this critical matchup 26th in defensive rating. There is a seven-team logjam at the bottom of the West, and these games are huge but do not expect a stout defensive effort from either club here. New Orleans is top 10 in rebounding, but do not have Zion available and Ingram may miss this one.

Take the over here.

Prediction: OVER 233

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