The New Orleans Pelicans (28-25) will be at home in Smoothie King Center when they meet the Indiana Pacers (30-25). Action gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 7, 2018, and it can be seen on Fox Sports – New Orleans.
Indiana Pacers at New Orleans Pelicans ATS Preview
The Pacers were beaten by the Washington Wizards in their last outing, 111-102. Indiana’s Bojan Bogdanovic put together a solid game, leading both teams in scoring with 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting. Washington had a better offensive rebounding percentage (20.6 vs. 18.2). Indiana, meanwhile, had a free throw rate of 0.200 (above their season average of 0.176).
The last time the Pelicans played, they were topped by the Utah Jazz, 133-109. Jrue Holiday was New Orleans leading scorer with 28 points on 13-for-21 shooting. Making free throws was one of Utah’s biggest strengths. They were 15-17 (88.2 percent), while the Pelicans were just 7-13 (53.8 percent).
The upper-echelon offense of New Orleans will square off against the porous defense of Indiana. The Pelicans rank third in effective field goal percentage (0.547), while the Pacers are 24th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.533). The Pelicans should have the edge on that end of the court.
Of Indiana’s 55 games, 30 have finished under the projected point total, while 32 of New Orleans 53 games have finished over the projected point total. Both teams have very similar records straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS). The Pacers are 30-25 SU and 29-26 ATS, while the Pelicans are 28-25 SU and 27-26 ATS.
These teams have already met once this season. In that game, the two teams combined for 229 points, which was over the projected point total of 217.5. The Pelicans won 117-112, covering as 1.5-point favorites. The Pelicans played a nearly flawless game. They had a great effective field goal percentage of 0.586 and a free throw rate of 0.172. For those same stats, the Pacers were 0.522 and 0.161, respectively. Anthony Davis recorded a double-double with 37 points and 14 rebounds.
Indiana Pacers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Odds Prediction
Free NBA Pick: SU Winner – Pacers, ATS Winner – Pacers, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Pacers rank fifth in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.8) while the Pelicans rank 24th (18.1).
- New Orleans ranks 13th in three pointers attempted per game (29.2) while Indiana ranks 25th (24.9).
- New Orleans ranks fifth in blocks per game (5.2) while Indiana ranks 23rd (4.2).
- New Orleans ranks 17th in rebounds per game (42.9) while Indiana ranks 25th (41.3).
- On the road, Indiana is 13-12 ATS with 13 unders, 11 overs and 1 push.
- New Orleans is 11-15 ATS at home with 19 overs and 7 unders.
- New Orleans is 8-1 when they allow less than 100 points, while Indiana is 17-2.
- The Pelicans are 26-18 when they score more than 100 points, while the Pacers are 26-12.
- The Pelicans average 26.4 assists per game, which ranks second in the NBA. The Pacers rank 19th in assists allowed per game (23.2).
- Indiana averages 15.0 fast break points per game, which ranks third in the league. New Orleans ranks 27th in fast break points allowed per game (14.2).
- The Pacers rank fifth in steals allowed per game (7.0) while the Pelicans rank 25th (8.4).
- The Pacers rank 18th in second chance points allowed per game (13.0) while the Pelicans rank 26th (13.5).
- New Orleans ranks second in points in the paint per game (50.2) while Indiana ranks 22nd in points allowed in the paint per game (46.0).
Betting Trends:
- New Orleans is 1-4 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Indiana is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
- The Pelicans average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 8.2, up from 0.4 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Pacers have scored an average of 107.6 points per game (0.9 above their season average) and allowed an average of 106.6 points per game (1.0 above their season average).
