Boston Celtics vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 1/31/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Friday, January 31, 2025

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Gulf Coast Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans (12-35) will compete against the Boston Celtics (32-15) at Smoothie King Center on Friday.

The Celtics took the court against the Rockets and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 114-112 in their last game. Boston finished the contest having earned a 48.8% field goal percentage (39 out of 80) and converted 15 out of their 39 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Celtics made 19 of 20 attempts for a percentage of 95.0%. In terms of pulling down rebounds, they earned 41 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 21 assists for this game while forcing 8 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When discussing defense, Boston allowed the other team to go 44.6% from the floor on 41 of 92 shooting. Houston distributed 29 assists and had 7 steals for the game. Moreover, Houston pulled down 39 rebounds (12 offensive, 27 defensive) and added 4 blocks. Houston finished the contest at 71.4% from the free throw line by making 15 of 21 shots. They also buried 17 of 41 tries from long range. In relation to fouls, the Celtics ended up walking away with 20 while the Rockets totaled 22 fouls.

Jaylen Brown is a player who was a factor for this contest. He walked away with 28 points on 10 of 23 shooting. He played for 38 minutes played and snagged 4 boards. Brown ended up going 43.5% from the field and also distributed 4 assists.

Get all of our NBA Picks Today

Boston comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 32-15 on the year. They are averaging 117.2 points per contest (5th in the league) while shooting 45.7% from the field. The Celtics are shooting 36.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (834 of 2,291) and 79.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Boston is grabbing 45.0 rebounds per game and is sitting with 1,196 assists this season, which ranks 13th in the league in terms of passing. They cough up possession 11.8 times per game and as a squad they are committing 16.3 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Celtics are forcing 11.8 turnovers per game while drawing 16.3 personal fouls. They give up 36.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 26th in the league in points per game allowed (117.2). The Celtics defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 45.7% (1,952 of 4,274) and they surrender 45.0 boards per game as a group. They are ranked 18th in basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,196 conceded this season.

The last time they took the court, the Pelicans took a loss by a final score of 113-104 when they faced the Raptors. The Pelicans were able to collect 40 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 46 in this matchup. They also turned it over 13 times, while earning 9 steals in this matchup. The Raptors committed 24 personal fouls for the contest which got the Pelicans to the charity stripe for a total of 30 tries. They were able to make 20 of the free throws for a percentage of 66.7%. In the matter of shooting from 3-point land, New Orleans made 6 of their 28 attempts (21.4%). At the conclusion of this game, the Pelicans finished 39 for 89 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.8%. The Pelicans allowed the Raptors to convert 43 of their 100 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 43.0% in this matchup. They went 27.3% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 9 of 33 and ended up shooting 18 out of 23 from the charity stripe (78.3%). Regarding rebounds, New Orleans allowed Toronto to collect 54 overall (13 on the offensive glass).

Zion Williamson was important for the Pelicans in this game. Williamson accumulated 31 points in his 27 mins on the court and earned 2 assists in this matchup. He made 13 out of 18 for the game for a field goal percentage of 72.2%, and earned 7 rebounds.

New Orleans has a win-loss mark of 12-35 for the year. The Pelicans are responsible for committing 18.2 fouls per contest and they shoot 76.3% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 25.2 times per contest (21st in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.4 times per game. New Orleans has tallied 5,128 pts this year (109.1 per game) and they collect 43.0 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Pelicans are connecting on 44.3% from the field, which has them ranked 26th in the league.

The Pelicans on defense are ranked 7th in the league in points given up per game with 109.1. They are able to force 14.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.3% from the field (5th in the league). The New Orleans defense allows 34.2% on shots from distance (569 of 1,664) and opponents are making 76.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 25.2 dimes and 43.0 boards per game, which ranks 10th and 7th in the league.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Boston

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