Two Takes For Pelicans Vs. Trail Blazers

Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers, 10:00 ET

It has been a brutal start to the MLB season for me. I am 0-3 for the year, which is easy to come back from. However, I bring it up because yesterday's loss was ugly. I took the under on the game between the Twins and Royals. Both teams were doing basically nothing on offense this season, and both had to face a good opposing pitcher. They combined yesterday to score 22 runs, with both teams exceeding the 8.5 line by themselves. Ugly look for me, but I did get wins in both of my College Hoops plays. Let's go to the professional level and take on the Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers.

The Pelicans are once again having a terrible season. They are 25-51 for the year, and with just a handful of games remaining, they really have no incentive to win. New Orleans has talent on the roster, but thanks to injuries they haven't put it together. Actually, the more I think about it, they probably don't have just injuries to blame. Their superstar, Zion Williamson, will likely play in the final six games. If he does, that will put him at 65 games, which will be the second most games he has played in during a season in his career. However, it will also be his lowest points per game. Dejounte Murray is back for the team, and having him would've made a big difference. He only has 13 games under his belt this season, but is averaging a solid 17.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. The Pelicans have lost their past five games, with the past three seeing them lose by an average of 22 points. 

New Orleans Pelicans PF Zion Williamson going up for a dunk against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. (Photo credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images)

The Trail Blazers are actually decent this season. They will make the play-in tournament this year and have a chance to host a game. For a season that started with them having their coach removed for gambling on games, it seems like this should've been a disaster of a year. They weren't expected to be very good this year, but the rest of the league is so bad that a Play-In always had to be an expectation. The Pelicans, Grizzlies, Jazz, and Kings were all going to miss the playoffs. The Mavericks were a bit of a toss-up. Deni Avdija has been great and should be a finalist for Most Improved Player this season. Scoot Henderson looks a little more reliable than normal, and Jrue Holiday has been a strong veteran presence for the team - something it deeply needed. Jerami Grant is out, but when he and Shaedon Sharpe return, they will give a bit more depth as well. 

This isn't going to be a game that most people will want to watch. If you aren't a die-hard basketball fan like I am, you probably aren't even familiar with anyone I mentioned aside from Zion. Here's the thing, the Pelicans are trying to lose, and the Trail Blazers are trying to win. That means the spread is most definitely in play. Give me Portland -6.5 here as they should win this by 10 or more points. I also think they should hit over their 119.5 team total. In three games between the two teams, Portland has never scored fewer than 120 points. They've also won two of the three games by seven or more points. Give me both looks.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024