The New Orleans Pelicans were counted out when star forward DeMarcus Cousins was lost for the season due to a torn Achilles. Instead, Anthony Davis has taken on an even bigger role and has the team in the midst of the Western Conference playoff seeding. New Orleans has won eight straight games and will aim to keep it goin this week in a matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Los Angeles is right on the outside of the playoff picture and every win is critical down the stretch. It has the home court advantage in this one, so even despite New Orleans’ recent hot streak, this figures to be quite the competitive matchup. The Clippers figure to be slight favorites.
Each side will want the win badly and it could come down to the last couple of minutes.
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Odds Analysis
The Pelicans are 36-26 straight up and 33-28-1 against the spread. New Orleans has done a nice job on the road, covering in 20 of 32 attempts. The Pelicans are 15-11 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
The Clippers are 33-28 straight up and 35-26 against the spread. Los Angeles has played 30 games at home this season and has covered in half of those. The Clippers have done a nice job as the favorite, covering in 20 of 31 games.
Player To Watch
Anthony Davis — The Pelicans’ superstar has not allowed his team to slip after the loss of Cousins. He is averaging 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game on the season but has been even more dominant of late.
Davis’ worth has been readily apparent of late, especially in a pair of wins over the Heat and Suns. In the one-point win against Miami, Davis put up 45 points, 17 rebounds, five blocks and five steals. Against Phoenix, he registered 53 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks. They are just mind-boggling numbers as Davis has ascended to one of the best five or so players in the entire NBA.
The pairing with Cousins was working well, as Davis was playing like a star and Cousins was adding 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists. When Cousins went down many expected the Pelicans to drop like a rock, but it hasn’t happened because of Davis.
Key Stat
1. That’s the number of games out of the eighth seed the Clippers sit, as they are trying to track down one of the teams ahead of them in the West. While Los Angeles is closest to the Nuggets, there are five other teams within three games. If the Clippers can play well down the stretch one of the others may very well slip.
However, Los Angeles may be the least talented among the teams, especially after it traded Blake Griffin to the Pistons at the deadline. The Clippers are two games behind New Orleans, so a win in this one would bring them very close as the season hits its stretch run.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Davis has been a monster, but the Clippers have a key player who can keep him somewhat at bay in the excellent defender DeAndre Jordan. If Davis doesn’t dominate, it’s going to be tough for the Pelicans to win this one.
Take the Clippers to end New Orleans’ long winning streak by taking care of business at home and making the Western Conference playoff race even more muddled. Los Angeles is also the choice to cover the spread.
NBA Odds: Clippers 107, Pelicans 102
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