Alright, folks! It’s game day, and I can feel the excitement buzzing through the Smoothie King Center as our New Orleans Pelicans gear up to take on the Utah Jazz. With a winning streak on the line, this is more than just another game; it’s a chance for our boys to show what they’re made of!
The Pelicans are coming off a solid win against these same Jazz just a few weeks back, where they took home a 136-123 victory. That was an electrifying performance that had us all on our feet! Now, with the oddsmakers favoring us by -7.5 points, it’s clear they believe in our momentum too. And let me tell you, we’ve been riding high lately with three straight wins under our belt and covering the spread in each of those games.
Now, let’s break down what we can expect tonight. The Pelicans have been averaging about 109 points per game while shooting around 44% from the field. Not exactly mind-blowing numbers, but when you consider how well they’ve been playing recently—especially defensively—it gives me hope! They’re grabbing over 43 rebounds per game and managing to snag nearly 10 steals. However, we need to tighten up those turnovers; losing over 14 per game isn’t going to cut it if we want to keep this winning streak alive.
On the other side of things, the Jazz have struggled mightily this season with a record of just 10-30 SU. They’ve shown some fight lately though, going 6-2 ATS in their last eight games despite being one of the league’s bottom feeders overall. Their offensive stats are slightly better than ours at around 111 points per game and shooting nearly 46% from the field—but don’t let that fool you! They also commit more turnovers than we do and struggle defensively with fouls.
I’m predicting that while we’ll come out on top tonight (because how could I ever doubt my Pels?), I think Utah will manage to cover that spread. They’ve got some grit left in them after their recent performances—even if they haven’t found much success overall this season.
As for that Over/Under set at 226.5? I’m leaning towards taking the Under here based on both teams’ defensive capabilities lately and how tightly contested these matchups tend to be when playoff aspirations are on the line—even if neither team is really in contention right now.
So grab your lucky jersey (you know I will!), settle into your seats or your couch if you’re watching from home, and get ready for what should be an exciting matchup! Let’s go Pels! Bring home another W!