Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 4/14/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Bally Sports New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans (48-32) will try to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers (45-35) at Smoothie King Center on Sunday.

The Lakers faced the Warriors and took a loss by a score of 134-120 in their last contest. Los Angeles ended having earned a 45.8% field goal percentage (44 of 96) and buried 12 of 35 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Lakers knocked down 20 of 24 shots for a rate of 83.3%. When it comes to hauling in boards, they collected 40 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 31 assists for the game while forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In relation to defense, Los Angeles allowed their opponent to shoot 58.8% from the floor on 47 out of 80 shooting. Golden State distributed 37 assists and had 3 steals for the game. On top of that, Golden State collected 42 rebounds (4 offensive, 38 defensive) and earned 3 blocks. Golden State finished the game at 66.7% from the free throw line by making 14 of 21 tries. They made 26 out of their 41 attempts from distance. When discussing fouls, the Lakers walked away with 14 and the Warriors racked up 17 fouls.

LeBron James is someone who had an impact for the contest. He ended up finishing with 33 points on 14 of 22 shooting. He saw the court for 36 mins and collected 7 rebounds. James finished shooting 63.6% from the field and also totaled 11 dimes.

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Los Angeles will take the court with a mark of 45-35 on the year. They are averaging 117.9 pts per game (7th in the NBA) while hitting 49.8% from the floor. The Lakers are connecting on 37.7% on shots from distance (945 of 2,506) and 78.0% from the charity stripe. As a team, Los Angeles is snagging 39.6 boards per contest and has 2,283 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 6th in basketball in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 12.8 times per game and as a unit are committing 15.7 personal fouls per game.

Defensively, the Lakers are able to force 12.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.7 personal fouls. They concede 37.5% from 3-point land and they are ranked 23rd in basketball in PPG allowed (117.5). The Lakers defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 47.4% (3,559 of 7,506) and they concede 40.8 rebounds per game as a team. They are currently ranked 26th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 2,271 conceded this season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Pelicans went home victorious with a score of 135-123 when they faced the Kings. When it comes to cleaning the glass, New Orleans allowed Sacramento to collect 32 in total (5 on the offensive glass). They shot 42.1% from beyond the perimeter by going 16 of 38 and walked away from this one shooting 15 of 20 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Pelicans permitted the Kings to make 46 of their 84 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 54.8% in this contest. When the game finished, the Pelicans finished shooting 49 for 86 from the field which had them at 57.0%. In regard to three-point shots, New Orleans made 22 out of 40 tries (55.0%). They were able to knock down 15 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 83.3%. The Kings were called for 17 personal fouls for the game which took the Pelicans to the free throw line for 18 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 7 steals in this matchup. The Pelicans corralled 35 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards for a total of 40 in this game.

CJ McCollum ended up being a major contributor for the Pelicans for the matchup. McCollum accumulated 31 points in his 40 minutes on the court and had 7 assists for the contest. He converted 11 of 18 in this game for a field goal percentage of 61.1%, and had 4 rebounds.

New Orleans has a win-loss record of 48-32 so far this season. As an offense, the Pelicans are connecting on 48.7% from the field, which ranks them 8th in the league. New Orleans has accumulated 9,214 points so far this season (115.2 per game) and they pull down 41.6 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 27.0 times per contest (12th in the league) and they lose possession via turnover 12.2 times per game. The Pelicans have committed 18.5 fouls every game and they connect on 77.3% from the free throw line.

The New Orleans defense gives up 34.9% on shots from beyond the arc (1,085 of 3,113) and their opponents are making 78.2% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 26.7 assists and 39.9 boards on a nightly basis, which is 16th and 12th in the NBA. The Pelicans are ranked 8th in the league in points per game surrendered with 110.5. They are able to force 13.2 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 46.2% from the floor (6th in basketball).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans

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