NBA Regular Season 2023/24, Saturday, January 06, 2024
On Saturday night, the in-form teams from New Orleans and Los Angeles, who have both won their last four games, will face off. Excitement is guaranteed at the Smoothie King Center!
My Pelicans Clippers betting tip, which is worth downloading the Bet365 app for, explains why you can expect a tight affair in which the home-strong Pelicans are likely to lose by a maximum of two points.
The host Pelicans currently rank sixth in the strong Western Conference with a 21-14 record.
The team from Louisiana has won seven of its last ten games and the last four encounters.
In particular, the last game at West leader Minnesota was a real exclamation mark, as they beat the Timberwolves by +11.
With an offensive rating of 115.8, the Pelicans only have an average offense (13th), but their defense is elite with a defensive rating of 111.6 (seventh).
Only two teams have more steals per game than the long-fingered Pelicans (8.4) and only three teams allow a lower opponent three-point percentage (33.6%).
In addition, no NBA team allows fewer opponent steals (6.4) than New Orleans.
Lead by forwards Brandon Ingram (22.8 points per game) and Zion Williamson (22.1), the Pelicans have a balanced team structure and a wide squad, with seven players averaging more than ten points.
The visiting LA Clippers have therefore been warned!
The team from the City of Angels has won eight of its last ten games and is ranked fourth in the West with a 21-12 record.
With four (aging) future Hall-of-Famers, the Southern Californians can have legitimate hopes for a deep playoff run.
After losing their first five games following the acquisition of former MVP James Harden, the Clippers bounced back and have lost just five of their last 23 games.
Four of those five defeats came against top teams, namely Denver (-9), Oklahoma City (-19), Boston (-37) and, of all teams, their upcoming opponents from New Orleans (home defeat by -10).
In particular Russell Westbrook (also a former MVP), who now comes off the bench, had a bad day with 1/8 shot attempts.
The team under the aegis of Tyronn Lue can boast both an elite offensive rating (7th with 118.3) and a decent defensive rating (13th with 113.4).
The game tailored to superstars Kawhi Leonard (24.6 points per game), Paul George (23.2), James Harden (17.7 and 8.1 assists) and Russell Westbrook (11.2) is reflected, among other things, in the fact that no other team looks for isolation plays more often.
In addition, no other team plays fewer passes than the Clippers.
Meanwhile, German world champion Daniel Theis has quickly established himself as a valuable backup center for the Southern Californians with 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists and a strong three-point percentage of 47.6%.
However, the fact that the Angels have lost their last four duels with the Pelicans (by an average margin of -15) does not exactly speak in the Clippers’ favor.
Like the German bookmakers, I also expect a close and exciting game.
Since the Pelicans have only lost eight of their last eleven home games, I see the waterfowl as slightly favored, which is why a handicap bet is a good idea.
Equipped with a virtual advantage of +2.5 points, the Pelicans should take home my betting recommendation, as they have not lost by more than two points in any of their last three home game defeats.
My Pelicans Clippers betting tip is therefore: Pelicans win with HC +2.5!
