With the New Orleans Pelicans having lost their last four games, they’re taking on the Portland Trail Blazers, who are 1-3 in their last four games. Both teams need to pick up a big win. Let’s break down the best prop bets for this matchup.
Neither of these teams is trending in the right direction right now. Other than Damian Lillard’s 71-point game, there’s not too much to cheer about for the Trail Blazers. On the flip side, injuries have spoiled the Pelicans’ season thus far, too. When Zion Williamson was healthy, the Pelicans were atop the Western Conference.
Now, for this game, the Trail Blazers might have the edge over the Pelicans. Without Williamson and a few key role players, they won’t have the star power or depth to win this game, even behind a big performance from Brandon Ingram.
Lillard should be able to will the Trail Blazers to a win tonight as 1.5-point favorites.
Brandon Ingram over 25.5 points (-113) Bet $100 to collect $188. Get the best odds, available at FanDuel
Having covered in the Pelicans’ first game back from the All-Star break and scoring 25 points in their most recent outing, Ingram is in a position to cover tonight. And, well, he doesn’t have much of a choice. I see it hard for this game to be close if Ingram isn’t close to 30 points, and the Pelicans are going to rely on him and CJ McCollum. He should be up for the challenge, though. He’s averaging 28.3 points per game in the month of February. So, being without Williamson or role players, tonight relies heavily on Ingram’s back.
Cam Reddish over 12.5 points (+100) Bet $100 to collect $200, Get the best odds, available at FanDuel
Being traded from New York to Portland, Reddish had been picking up DNP’s since early December. Everyone knew Reddish was too good for that, so he was traded for a cheap price. Now, with the Trail Blazers, Reddish is consistently getting more burned. He’s played right around – or more than – 29 minutes in the Trail Blazers’ last four games, and he covered this prop three times in doing so. The one time he didn’t was Lillard’s 71-point game. So, assuming Lillard doesn’t break his career-high in points tonight, Reddish should be able to clear this prop.
CJ McCollum over 2.5 3-pointers (+100) Bet $100 to collect $200, Get the best odds, available at FanDuel
McCollum is shooting the ball with volume as of late. So far in February, he’s averaged 6.3 attempted threes per game. Playing alongside Ingram allows him to shoot a healthy amount of clean looks from beyond the arc, and he’s capable of knocking them down. And right now, the Pelicans need him to step up and bring some heat from beyond the arc so the Pelicans can avoid taking even more of a hit in the standings. The Pelicans’ top two healthy players are going to have to bring everything they have to get their team out of this slump, so expect plenty of shots coming from McCollum, who should be able to cover.
