Anthony Davis has been dominating the NBA for years, but the superstar finally picked up his first playoff win in light of New Orleans’ 97-95 triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series on Saturday. With Game 2 set for Tuesday in Oregon, this is a must-win game for the Trail Blazers before the series shifts to the Bayou State. The UNDER is trending when the Pelicans play at Moda Center, as New Orleans has gone below the total in seven of its last 10 trips to Portland.
Sportsbook opened the Pelicans as 6.5-point road underdogs with a total of 214.
- The Trail Blazers are 20-7-1 ATS in their last 28 games as favorite.
- The Pelicans are 4-20 SU in their last 24 games in the playoffs on the road.
- The Pelicans are 3-12 SU in their last 15 games on the road against the Trail Blazers.
The win was especially impressive considering the Blazers had won 21 of their final 24 regular-season contests. Rajon Rondo played a major part in the win, as the point guard matched the franchise record for assists in a postseason game (17 by Chris Paul in 2008). Rondo, who limited Damian Lillard to 6-of-23 shooting, has averaged 14.3 points, 9.2 assists and 1.9 steals in 97 career playoff games. Davis has a 32.2 scoring average in five career postseason games and has scored more than 25 in each tilt.
Lillard and backcourt mate C.J. McCollum combined to shoot just 13-for-41 from the field in the series-Sportsbook loss. Big man Jusuf Nurkic had a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards but went 3-for-7 from the field and was in tough defending Davis all night.
The UNDER has also paid out when the Pelicans play away from home. In New Orleans’ past eight road games, the UNDER is 6-2 with an average combined score of 212.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The New Orleans Pelicans opened this morning as 6-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at OddsShark (including Sportsbook), while the total was hovering around 212.5 at Sportsbook and other betting odds shops.
Handicapping prediction models run by the computers at OddsShark pick a 109-98 result in favor of the Pelicans. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NBA matchups here.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trail Blazers Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The New Orleans Pelicans will look to vanquish their hosts on Tuesday, as they are 46-36-1 versus the spread this season, while the Portland Trail Blazers are 45-32-6 ATS. New Orleans is 47-35-1 against the points scored total betting line, while Portland is 35-48 versus the line. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Portland vs New Orleans injuries news.
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams with the Trail Blazers rated this week at No. 4 and the Pelicans sitting at No. 14.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting New Orleans Pelicans rank No. 10 in the league with 44.34 per game. That compares with Portland's No. 3 ranking in that category. When it comes to three-point shooting, Portland is the NBA's No. 16-ranked team at 10.33 treys per game, while the New Orleans Pelicans rate No. 18 with 10.18 per contest.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
New Orleans got 35 points from Anthony Davis en route to a 97-95 victory over Portland on Saturday at Moda Center.
- New Orleans is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
- New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans's last 6 games
- New Orleans is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
- Portland is 15-6-2 ATS in its last 23 games
- Portland is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games
- Portland is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
- Portland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Next Betting Matchups
New Orleans home to Portland, Thursday, April 19
