It is time to continue our NBA odds series with a Boston Celtics vs. New Orleans Pelicans prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Boston Celtics are showing signs of getting complacent, losing two consecutive games as double-digit favorites to the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics have already clinched first place in the Eastern Conference, so they may not have much motivation left to end the season. The New Orleans Pelicans still have plenty left to play for, as they are half a game back of fourth in the West, but not out of the woods to fall into the play-in tournament. The seventh-seed Suns are two games back of New Orleans. It is time to continue our NBA odds series with a Celtics-Pelicans prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The rest of the Eastern Conference after the Boston Celtics have been a group of average teams. This contributed to them clinching the No.1 seed with 11 games remaining in the season. They had won nine games in a row before losing two consecutive games to the Hawks this past week. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been very successful in their Celtics’ tenures, but they have one more mountain to climb and win their first NBA Championship.
The Pelicans have had some important wins recently, winning seven of their last ten games against teams like the Bucks, Heat, and Clippers. Zion Williamson is playing some of his best basketball in a long time, averaging 26.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over his last ten games. He’s had 25+ points in eight.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Celtics-Pelicans Odds
Boston Celtics: -5 (-108)
Moneyline: -198
New Orleans Pelicans: +5 (112)
Moneyline: +166
Over: 223.5 (-110)
Under: 223.5 (-110)
How to Watch Celtics vs. Pelicans
Time: 5 PM ET/2 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports New Orleans, NBC Sports Boston
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Pelicans are on a good winning run, but they haven’t been as efficient at covering the spread. They are 2-3 against the spread over their last five games, which is a far cry from their 40-31-2 mark over the entire season.
The Pelicans also have no real advantage at the Smoothie King Center, as they have similar records at home and on the road. They are 24-14 on the road and 21-14 at home.
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread/Win
There was an interesting quote from Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla after the latest Hawks game. Mazzula talked with reporters about his decisions on defensive matchups for Kristaps Porzingis. “It was good reps for us,” Mazzulla said. “We went to that on purpose. It was an opportunity to practice stuff that we’re going to need to get to. We haven’t done a lot of 1-5 switching with KP on the floor. I thought it was a good opportunity to get reps on that and get it on film.” The Celtics are seemingly using their remaining games as a makeshift practice to prepare for future matchups in the playoffs. If that is the Celtics’ mindset playing against teams who are still competing for seeding, they may not be a good bet for the rest of the regular season.
Final Celtics-Pelicans Prediction & Pick
The Celtics had plenty of motivation to beat the Hawks on Thursday night after Atlanta embarrassed them on Monday with a 30-point comeback. Instead, the Celtics again came out with a flat effort and opted to practice different defensive rotations instead of administering payback on the Hawks. The Pelicans have won six of their last eight games and must continue winning to stay in an automatic playoff seed. The Pelicans will come out and win this game outright at home.
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Final Celtics-Pelicans Prediction & Pick: Pelicans ML (+166)
About the Author
Nathanial Duffett is a writer for ClutchPoints and a sports junkie at heart, especially for the Boston sports scene. In his spare time, he coaches hockey and is also a Hockey Scout at FCHockey and NeutralZone. Whether it’s covering the NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL, or College Football and Basketball, there is not a sport Nathanial isn’t able to discuss.
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