Toronto Raptors vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 1/2/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Toronto Raptors vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Saturday, January 2, 2021

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: NBATV

Odds/Point Spread: Toronto (-1)

The New Orleans Pelicans (3-2) play the Toronto Raptors (1-3) at Smoothie King Center on Saturday. New Orleans opens this contest as 1-point underdogs. The O/U is set at 217.5.

The Toronto Raptors took the court against the New York Knicks and notched a win by a score of 100-83 in their last contest. Toronto wrapped up the game with a 41.0% field goal percentage (34 out of 83) and made 17 of their 52 3-point attempts. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Raptors buried 15 of their 21 attempts for a rate of 71.4%. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 53 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 21 assists for the matchup while having 7 steals and 6 rejections. With respect to defending, Toronto let their opponent shoot 36.4% from the floor on 32 out of 88 shooting. New York earned 21 assists and had 6 steals in the matchup. In addition, the Knicks totaled 48 rebounds (9 offensive, 39 defensive) and got 3 blocks. New York walked away from this one shooting 80.0% at the free throw line by converting 16 of their 20 tries. They converted 3 of 36 shots from distance.

Fred VanVleet is one player who played a role for this contest. He notched 25 points on 9 out of 19 shooting. He played 35:32 minutes and grabbed 5 boards. VanVleet finished shooting 47.4% from the floor and also distributed 7 assists. An additional guy that was a factor in this game for the Raptors was Kyle Lowry. He totaled 7 boards and also accumulated 4 assists. He finished the game at 50.0% from the field in the matchup by going 6-of-12 (20 points). Overall, Lowry saw the court for 36:49 min.

Toronto will take the court with a win-loss record of 1-3 for the campaign. They average 101.5 points per contest (28th in the league) while hitting 41.3% from the field. The Raptors are shooting 34.2% on shots from 3-point land (63 of 184) and 75.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Toronto is pulling down 45.3 boards per game and has accounted for 100 dimes so far this year, which ranks 21st in the league in terms of passing. They are turning it over 17.8 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 23.8 fouls per contest. Defensively, the Raptors are forcing their opponents into 19.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.3 personal fouls. The Raptors defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 43.5% (79 of 73) and they surrender 50.0 boards per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 14th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 108 conceded on the campaign. They concede 30.8% on shots from downtown while they are 4th in the league in points per game allowed (103.8).

The last time they took the court, the New Orleans Pelicans walked away with a victory by a final of 113-80 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pelicans earned 44 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 58 in the matchup. They also blocked 4 shots while earning 9 steals for this game. The Thunder earned 20 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Pelicans to the charity stripe for 19 attempts. They were able to make 12 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 63.2%. Pertaining to shots from distance, New Orleans buried 13 of 36 attempts (36.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Pelicans finished 44 for 91 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 48.4%. The Pelicans allowed the Thunder to convert 30 of their 80 tries from the field which left them shooting 37.5% in this contest. They shot 31.3% from beyond the arc by going 15 out of 48 and finished the contest at 5 of 15 at the free throw line (33.3%). In the matter of rebounds, New Orleans permitted Oklahoma City to snag 40 in all (7 on the offensive glass).

Brandon Ingram was important for the Pelicans in this game. He made 8 of 16 in this contest for a rate of 50.0%, which had him sitting at 20 points. Ingram pulled down 7 rebounds in his 26:01 mins of time on the court and had 2 assists for the game. Another guy that ended being a contributor for New Orleans was Eric Bledsoe. He left the arena with 17 points in his 25:11 minutes played by going 7 of 11 from the floor for the matchup. Bledsoe wrapped this one up going 63.6% from the floor while also totaling 2 dimes and 3 rebounds.

New Orleans has a win-loss record of 3-2 for the campaign. New Orleans has totaled 508 points on the season (101.6 per game) and they pull in 48.2 boards per contest. The Pelicans commit 16.6 personal fouls per game and they connect on 65.5% from the free throw line. As an offensive team, the Pelicans are hitting on 45.2% from the field, which has them ranked 19th in the league. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 20.8 times per contest (29th in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 17.0 times per game. The Pelicans on the defensive side of the court are 2nd in basketball in points per game surrendered with 99.2. They relinquish 25.8 dimes and 40.0 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 20th and 3rd in the league. The New Orleans defense allows 35.0% from downtown (75 of 214) and their opponents are making 76.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They are forcing their opponents into 16.8 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the floor (4th in the NBA).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New Orleans (+1)

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