New Orleans Pelicans vs Toronto Raptors Prediction, 2/23/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Toronto Raptors

Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023

Location: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON

TV: TSN

Odds/Point Spread: New Orleans (+3)

The Toronto Raptors will take on the New Orleans Pelicans at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. Toronto is 3-point favorites. The over/under comes in at 225.

The Pelicans faced off with the Lakers and took a loss by a final of 120-102 in their last game. When discussing personal fouls, the Pelicans ended up finishing with 28 and the Lakers recorded 23 personal fouls. They also converted 10 of 37 attempts from distance. Los Angeles went 61.1% at the free throw line by converting 22 of 36 tries. In addition, Los Angeles totaled 43 rebounds (6 offensive, 37 defensive) and added 3 blocks. Los Angeles doled out 32 assists and had 5 steals in the game. When it comes to the defense, New Orleans allowed the other team to go 53.0% from the floor on 44 out of 83 shooting. They also doled out 24 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 5 steals. In terms of grabbing boards, they compiled 50 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Pelicans knocked down 17 of 24 shots for a rate of 70.8%. New Orleans finished the game having earned a 43.8% FG percentage (39 out of 89) and knocked down 7 of their 25 three-point attempts.

Brandon Ingram is a player who played a role in this matchup. He left the arena with 25 points on 10 of 21 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 minutes played and grabbed 4 boards. Ingram walked away from this one shooting 47.6% from the floor and totaled 1 assist.

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New Orleans will enter this game with a record of 30-29 for the campaign. They average 114.9 pts per contest (11th in the NBA) while going 48.0% from the field. The Pelicans are hitting 35.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (635 of 1,788) and 78.0% from the free throw line. As a team, New Orleans is collecting 44.1 boards per contest and has accounted for 1,519 assists for the season, which is 11th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 15.0 times per contest and as a unit are committing 20.8 fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Pelicans are forcing their opponents into 15.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.8 fouls. They are currently ranked 15th in the NBA in giving up assists with 1,491 conceded for the season. The Pelicans defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 47.4% (2,446 of 5,155) and they surrender 42.1 rebounds per game as a unit. They are relinquishing 34.0% on 3-pointers while they are 16th in the league in points per game allowed (113.5).

The last time they took the court, the Raptors took home the win by a final score of 123-113 against the Magic. The Raptors pulled down 27 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds totaling 40 in this contest. They also turned it over 18 times, while earning 9 steals in this contest. The Magic were called for 17 fouls for the game which took the Raptors to the charity stripe for 20 shots. They were able to knock down 15 of them for a percentage of 75.0%. Pertaining to shots from downtown, Toronto buried 8 of 24 attempts (33.3%). At the conclusion of this game, the Raptors ended up going 50 out of 83 from the floor which had them sitting at 60.2%. The Raptors allowed the Magic to bury 43 out of 84 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.2% in this game. They finished 41.9% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 13 out of 31 and finished the game at 14 of 18 from the charity stripe (77.8%). In regard to team rebounding, Toronto permitted Orlando to snag 29 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Jakob Poeltl was important for the Raptors for the game. He converted 15 out of 17 in this matchup for a rate of 88.2%, and accumulated 9 rebounds. Poeltl recorded 30 points in his 37 mins of playing time and had 2 dimes in the matchup.

Toronto has a mark of 28-31 for the year. The Raptors are responsible for committing 20.5 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 78.2% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 23.3 times per game (24th in the league) and they lose possession via turnover 11.8 times per contest. Toronto has scored 6,686 points this year (113.3 per contest) and they pull in 42.8 rebounds per contest. As an offensive team, the Raptors are connecting on 45.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 26th in the NBA.

The Toronto defense allows 37.1% on shots from beyond the arc (734 of 1,976) and their opponents are connecting on 79.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They surrender 26.0 dimes and 42.3 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 25th and 10th in the NBA. The Raptors are ranked 11th in the league in PPG allowed with 112.5. They are forcing 16.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 49.0% from the field (27th in the league).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans (+3)

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