New York Knicks vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 12/21/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: New York Knicks vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Gulf Coast Sports

The New York Knicks (16-10) are hitting the road to Smoothie King Center on Saturday where they will try to beat the New Orleans Pelicans (5-22).

The Knicks stepped onto the hardwood against the Magic and walked away with a win by a score of 100-91 in their last contest. New York finished the game with a 46.5% field goal percentage (33 of 71) and converted 10 of 24 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Knicks converted 24 of their 30 attempts for a rate of 80.0%. Regarding rebounding, they collected a total of 45 with 7 of them being offensive. They also doled out 20 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and having 8 steals. In terms of the defense, New York allowed the other team to shoot 41.9% from the floor on 36 of 86 shooting. Orlando doled out 24 dimes and had 8 steals in the matchup. Furthermore, Orlando had 39 rebounds (10 offensive, 29 defensive) and had 3 blocked shots. Orlando ended up shooting 76.9% when shooting free throws by making 10 of their 13 tries. They also knocked down 9 of their 30 tries from beyond the arc. In relation to personal fouls, the Knicks walked away with 16 and the Magic finished the game with 26 personal fouls.

Jalen Brunson is someone who was a major factor in the matchup. He ended up with 31 points on 8 of 18 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 38 mins played and also collected 3 boards. Brunson ended up shooting 44.4% from the field and also earned 5 assists.

Get all of our NBA Expert Picks

New York enters this contest with a record of 16-10 on the season. They are losing possession via turnover 13.1 times per game and as a squad they are committing 17.2 personal fouls per game. As a unit, New York is collecting 42.4 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 721 assists so far this year, which ranks 10th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Knicks are connecting on 39.4% on 3-pointers (368 of 935) and 80.8% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 116.4 points per outing (8th in the NBA) on 49.7% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Knicks have forced 13.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.8 personal fouls. They are conceding 36.3% from beyond the arc and they rank 9th in the league in opponents PPG (110.1). The Knicks are allowing a shooting percentage of 46.2% (1,056 of 2,286) and they surrender 41.0 rebounds per game as a group. They are currently ranked 12th in the league in allowing assists to their opponents with 666 relinquished so far this year.

For their last game, the Pelicans took a defeat with a final score of 119-104 against the Pacers. The Pelicans were able to snag 30 defensive boards and 19 offensive boards for a total of 49 for this game. They turned it over 18 times, while recording 11 steals in the game. The Pacers were called for 21 personal fouls for this game which took the Pelicans to the free throw line for a total of 23 shots. They were able to bury 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 78.3%. In terms of three-point shots, New Orleans buried 10 out of 33 tries (30.3%). Overall, the Pelicans finished the game shooting 38 for 97 from the field which gave them a rate of 39.2%. The Pelicans allowed the Pacers to make 41 of 81 attempts from the field which had them at 50.6% for the matchup. They wrapped up this game 42.1% from distance by going 16 of 38 and finished the contest at 21 out of 24 at the free throw line (87.5%). When it comes to rebounds, New Orleans allowed Indiana to collect 43 overall (7 on the offensive glass).

Brandon Boston Jr. ended up being a major contributor for the Pelicans in the game. Boston racked up 20 points in his 31 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 1 assist for the matchup. He knocked down 7 of 15 in the game for a rate of 46.7%, and added 2 rebounds.

New Orleans has a mark of 5-22 on the season. The Pelicans are committing 18.0 fouls per game and they shoot 76.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 23.5 times per game (26th in the league) and they are giving up possession 15.2 times per game. New Orleans has scored 2,837 pts this year (105.1 per contest) and they collect 43.3 boards per contest. As an offense, the Pelicans are hitting on 43.7% from the floor, which has them ranked 29th in the league.

The New Orleans defense allows 37.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (384 of 1,038) and their opponents are connecting on 79.1% of their foul shots. They have given up 28.6 dimes and 45.7 rebounds every game, which ranks them 27th and 27th in the NBA. The Pelicans on defense are ranked 24th in basketball in points per game surrendered with 116.6. They are able to force 14.6 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 48.3% from the floor (28th in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New York

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here