Two potential playoff teams in the West clash on Friday night when the Los Angeles Clippers (41-23, 4th in the West) travel to take on the New Orleans Pelicans (39-26, 5th in the West). The Clippers will be on the tail end of a back-to-back as they play in Chicago on Thursday (Note: this article was published before the results of the Clippers/Bulls game). New Orleans is coming off a tough home loss to Cleveland, going down 116-95 and losing outright as 6.5-point favorites. This is the fourth and final matchup between these teams, as the Pelicans hold a 2-1 lead in the series. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 EST from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
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Tough Road for Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers lost their last two games before heading into this back-to-back matchup. They lost to the Bucks and Timberwolves, two of the best teams in the league, and now must play back-to-back with both games on the road to the Bulls and Pelicans. The Clippers are trying to hold on to the 4th spot in the West, so they get home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. In their game against the Timberwolves, they lost by 18 points despite a 22-point game from Paul George.
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 13, 2024A triple shot of espresso ☕
Bones ➡️ Coffey pic.twitter.com/893eVU0emd
James Harden was ruled out for the Chicago game, and Russell Westbrook is still out with an injury. The Clippers still have their top scorer as Kawhi Leonard is averaging 23.7 PPG to go with 6.2 RPG and 3.7 APG. Both Leonard and Paul George will likely be eligible for regular season awards, as they have played in 58 games already this season. George is second in scoring with 22.1 PPG, and is the top shooter on the team with 3.2 made threes per game. Ivica Zubac starts on the inside and gets 11.6 PPG and 9.2 RPG. Terance Mann is an athletic wing on the perimeter, he starts as a wing defender and gets 8.2 PPG.
If Harden cannot go, Bones Hyland will start at point guard, he is averaging 6.2 PPG in his games with the Clippers. Norman Powell and Amir Coffey have gotten the majority of the minutes off the bench recently. The Clippers rank 3rd in offensive efficiency and 13th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. The Clippers play at the 21st fastest pace in the NBA.
Injury Report:
Questionable: James Harden
Out: Russell Westbrook
Four Game Streak Snapped
The Pelicans are trying to make up ground in their chase for the 4-spot in the playoffs, while also distancing themselves from the Play-In Tournament. New Orleans is 2.5-games behind the Clippers in the standings, yet are only a game ahead of the Suns who sit in 7th in the West. The Pelicans had recently won four straight games, but finally lost as the Cavaliers got a boost of energy from the return of Donovan Mitchell. In the Cleveland game, the Pelicans were led by Zion Williamson with 33 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
Take it away Z 🙌 pic.twitter.com/70klt8dkQz
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 14, 2024
The Pelicans' top three players are all healthy, as Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum have all been in recent lineups. Zion edges out Ingram for the scoring lead on the team, he averages 22.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and is an underrated playmaker with 5.1 APG. Ingram leads the team in assists with 5.8 from the wing position, he also gets 21.3 PPG on the year. McCollum is the top shooter, he is making 3.2 threes per game and averages 18.3 PPG. Their starting lineup has been consistent all year, Jonas Valanciunas starts inside and gets 13.0 PPG and 9.5 RPG, and Herb Jones is a wing defender adding another 11.1 PPG.
Their top scorer off the bench has been Trey Murphy III with 13.9 PPG, and recent rotations have also included a heavy does of Naji Marshall and Jose Alvarado. The Pelicans rank 11th in offensive efficiency and 5th in defensive efficiency. They play at the 16th fastest pace in the NBA.
Injury Report:
Out: Dyson Daniels
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Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Rating:
This number is high for a reason, the Clippers are rarely getting this many points, but they are in a tough spot here. The Clippers have to play in Chicago on Thursday, then fly out to New Orleans for a game on the next night. The Clippers have also been banged up recently, as they just played two of the toughest teams in the league in the Bucks and Timberwolves, and James Harden may join Russell Westbrook on the bench for this one. The Pelicans are younger and at full strength. This is a tough matchup for the Clippers, as they typically play George, Mann and Leonard at the 2 through 4 spot, which leaves no real matchup for Zion inside. Kawhi will likely draw the matchup here, he is a proven wing defender, but he would rather chase guards around the perimeter than bang with Zion in the post. New Orleans has the rest here, and the healthier team. The Pelicans also seem to have the Clippers number this season, as they defeated them in two of their three games by more than seven points.
Take the Pelicans to cover.
Prediction: Pelicans -6.5
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Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Rating:
The Clippers will likely be without two of their top stars for this matchup, Westbrook is out, and Harden may sit this out as well. That would lead Bones Hyland and Terence Mann as the backcourt, two players who are unlikely to have huge scoring impacts. This is the second game of a back-to-back for Los Angeles, and it is always possible that one of their stars sits this game out, either Leonard or George. Regardless of the lineup, the Clippers throw out there, the Pelicans have still been an under machine lately. New Orleans has gone under the total in eight of their last nine games. The Clippers have the 26th longest offensive possessions, and the Pelicans have the 23rd-longest defensive possessions. This will go under the number.
Take the under.
Prediction: Under 220.5
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Written By Paul Biagioli , "Paul Biagioli"
Paul has been a sports fan his entire life, and was an All-Conference basketball player at The University of Scranton. He is currently a high school basketball coach and a mathematics teacher with a Master’s in Business Administration. This unique combination gives Paul the ability to find mismatches from a coach’s perspective while having the ability to analyze statistical data to spot advantages. Paul will provide you with an array of statistics, trends, and analytics to prepare for any match-up. Follow Paul for up-to-date analysis and all your betting needs. We are thrilled to have Paul on our team.
