Toronto Raptors vs. New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, NBA Odds
The Toronto Raptors look to maintain sole possession of fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings when they wrap up a two-game road trip on Tuesday with a date with the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
The Raptors stumbled to a 113-99 loss in Houston on Tuesday night, marking their fifth loss in seven outings, and leaving them deadlocked with the red-hot Miami Heat and just a half-game up on the seventh-place Orlando Magic.
The Pelicans opened their current homestand with a 138-118 rout of the Washington Wizards on Sunday, extending their current home win streak to three games.
The Raptors roll into the Big Easy as 2.5-point road favourites on Wednesday’s NBA odds. The Pelicans trail as +115 underdogs on the NBA moneyline, and the total is set at 234.5.
Raptors vs. Pelicans NBA Betting Odds
The Raptors rolled to a 113-104 victory when they hosted the Pelicans on January 27, marking the first time they have topped New Orleans in consecutive meetings since 2019. That recent run of futility includes a 1-4 SU record in their past five visits to Smoothie King Center including a trio of losses by wide double-digit margins.
Recent dates between these clubs have been low scoring, with the total failing to top 120 during Toronto’s 2-0 SU run, and the UNDER paying out in each of those contests. The UNDER has also been a reliable wager during the Raptors’ current middling run, going 9-2 in the club’s past 11 contests.
Overall, the Raptors have averaged just over 110 points per game during their current 2-5 SU and ATS run, a stat that is heavily skewed by a pair of high-scoring performances in wins over bottom-feeding opponents, Washington and Dallas.
The Pelicans have shown signs of life in the second half of the season, going 8-5 SU in their past 13 games while covering nine times, but continue to trail 10th-place Portland by 10 games in the Western Conference standings with just 21 games remaining.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors kept things close before fading fast in the final frame in Tuesday’s loss to the Rockets. That is not good news for a club that has struggled at times when playing their second game on back-to-back nights, going 4-7 SU including a 1-5 SU run on the road.
However, there are positives to take away from Tuesday’s contest, particularly the performance of RJ Barrett, who led the club with 25 points and has averaged 27 points while being the top scorer in each of the past three games.
Barrett also set a team-high with six rebounds, but the club sorely missed big man Jakob Poeltl, who was sidelined yet again with an illness, leaving his status for Wednesday uncertain. With Collin Murray-Boyles also on the shelf with a thumb injury, Sandro Mamukelashvili could be in for a bigger assignment, but has managed to record over four boards just once in his past nine appearances.
Immanuel Quickley has cooled off considerably since recording back-to-back double-doubles last week, averaging just 13.3 points and seven assists over the past three games.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans have rediscovered their scoring touch during their late-season surge. Sunday’s victory over the Wizards marked the second time in three games the club has scored 133+ points, and they have averaged 120.9 points per game over their past nine outings.
Trey Murphy III once again led the attack for the pelicans with a team-high 24 points and has averaged 22 points over his past four outings.
Saddiq Bey recorded his first double-double since late January with 23 points and 10 boards, and has averaged seven rebounds per game over his past five home outings, adding value to his +125 odds on the NBA player props of pulling down 7+ rebounds on Wednesday.
TOR
NO