Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 3/16/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Saturday, March 16, 2024

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Bally Sports New Orleans

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-47) are on their way to Smoothie King Center on Saturday where they will take on the New Orleans Pelicans (39-26).

The Trail Blazers played the Knicks and took a loss by a final of 105-93 in their last game. Portland wrapped up the contest with a 40.5% field goal percentage (34 of 84) and knocked down 11 out of their 33 shots from 3-point land. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Trail Blazers buried 14 of their 16 attempts for a rate of 87.5%. Regarding rebounding, they earned 45 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 19 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and having 10 steals. When talking about the defense, Portland allowed the other team to shoot 43.7% from the floor on 38 of 87 shooting. New York distributed 16 dimes and had 11 steals in this contest. Moreover, New York grabbed 50 rebounds (15 offensive, 35 defensive) and earned 2 blocked shots. New York finished the game shooting 88.5% from the free throw line by converting 23 of their 26 tries. They also made 6 of their 29 tries from distance. Regarding fouls, the Trail Blazers ended up with 19 while the Knicks finished the game with 18 fouls.

Deandre Ayton is one guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. He walked away with 31 points on 12 of 21 shooting. He played 40 mins and also pulled down 14 rebounds. Ayton finished the game at 57.1% from the field but didn't record a dime.

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Portland comes into this contest with a mark of 19-47 this season. They average 107.7 points per game (28th in the league) while hitting 44.1% from the floor. The Trail Blazers are hitting 35.3% on 3-pointers (775 of 2,197) and 79.7% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Portland is grabbing 42.1 boards per game and has racked up 1,514 assists for the season, which has them ranked 30th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 15.1 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 20.4 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Trail Blazers are able to force 14.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.3 personal fouls. They are ranked 20th in basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,791 conceded this year. The Trail Blazers defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 49.2% (2,813 of 5,718) and they relinquish 43.9 rebounds per contest as a squad. They concede 35.1% on shots from downtown while they are 17th in basketball in opponents PPG (115.7).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Pelicans took a loss by a final score of 116-95 when they faced the Cavaliers. In the matter of how they attacked the glass, New Orleans allowed Cleveland to pull down 46 in total (8 on the offensive side). They finished 44.4% from downtown by connecting on 20 out of 45 and finished the contest at 2 out of 3 from the free throw line (66.7%). The Pelicans allowed the Cavaliers to convert 47 out of their 92 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.1% for this game. When the game finished, the Pelicans ended up going 35 for 80 from the field which gave them a rate of 43.8%. Concerning shooting from 3-point land, New Orleans knocked down 4 of 22 tries (18.2%). They were able to bury 21 of the free throws for a rate of 80.8%. The Cavaliers had 18 personal fouls in this game which got the Pelicans to the charity stripe for a total of 26 attempts. They turned it over 11 times, while recording 7 steals for the game. The Pelicans were able to corral 36 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 43 in this game.

Zion Williamson was important for the Pelicans for this game. He converted 13 out of 21 in the game for a rate of 61.9%, and totaled 9 rebounds. Williamson scored 33 points in his 35 mins on the court and accumulated 1 assist in the matchup.

New Orleans has a mark of 39-26 on the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Pelicans are connecting on 48.8% from the floor, which ranks 8th in basketball. New Orleans has totaled 7,544 points for the year (116.1 per contest) and they average 44.7 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 27.0 times per contest (11th in basketball) and they turn the ball over 13.3 times per game. The Pelicans are committing 18.8 personal fouls per game and they go 76.7% from the free throw line.

The Pelicans are ranked 8th in the league in PPG surrendered with 111.2. They have forced 14.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.0% from the field (5th in the NBA). The New Orleans defense surrenders 34.6% on 3-point attempts (876 of 2,533) and their opponents are making 77.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 27.0 dimes and 42.5 boards every game, which ranks 19th and 10th in basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans

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