Dejounte Murray and the San Antonio Spurs (16-12) look to take care of business at home when they host Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans (14-18) in the Alamo City on Saturday.
San Antonio is sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference standings and looking to move up as they look to move past their recent COVID-19 outbreak.
New Orleans is in 11th place out West and looking to find the consistency that has eluded them all season long.
Are the Spurs the sportsbook betting pick to get it done at home in their second game back after their hiatus? Are the semi-desperate Pelicans the better NBA online betting selection despite being on the road?
Check out the NBA Odds for this Saturday night showdown when they go live.
New Orleans Pelicans vs San Antonio Spurs
When: Saturday, February 27, 2021, at 8 p.m. ET
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
TV: NBALP, Fox Sports Southwest, Fox Sports New Orleans
Radio: WOAI/KXTNESPN 100.3FM
Pels Look To Bounce Back From Heartbreaking Loss
Milwaukee snapped New Orleans’ modest two-game winning streak snapped in a narrow 129-125 road loss last Thursday night. Zion Williamson scored a team-high 34 points and Brandon Ingram added 23 points, but it wasn’t enough as Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 38 points and Khris Middleton added 31 for the Bucks.
“I thought we got some really good looks down the stretch, passed up two good looks, I thought, but had some other good looks that could have gone down,” New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I don’t think down the stretch that we were having trouble getting shots.”
The Pelicans are averaging a stellar 115.5 points per game (4th) on 48.4% shooting from the field (5th) and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc (15th). Defensively, New Orleans allows 115.6 points per game (26th) on 47.5% shooting from the field (24th) and 39.4% shooting from three-point distance (28th).
Spurs Look To Find Rhythm After Hiatus
The Spurs were on the wrong end of a narrow 102-99 road loss against Oklahoma City on Wednesday night in their first game back in action after having their previous four games postponed because of their COVID-19 outbreak.
Dejounte Murray scored 27 points and Patty Mills added 15 points, but the Spurs couldn’t contain Oklahoma City point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who went off for a career-high 42 points.
San Antonio hadn’t played since Valentine’s day because of health and safety protocols, and the Spurs were still missing several players. Leading scorer DeMar DeRozan sat out for personal reasons. Rudy Gay, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Quinnary Witherspoon and Derrick White were out because of health and safety protocols.
Veteran power forward LaMarcus Aldridge came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season in 2006-07.
“It was fine,” he said after scoring 11 points. “Very different. Still trying to figure it out, how to be ready to go. It’s definitely a different task coming off the bench, having very few minutes to get loose and kind of find a rhythm. I’m still figuring it out. It wasn’t perfect tonight, and I don’t think it’s going to be perfect for a while. It’s going to take some time for me to figure it out.”
San Antonio averages 110.7 points per game (22nd) on 45.4% shooting from the field (21st) and 35.8% from three-point distance (19th). Defensively, the Spurs are limiting the opposition to 111.1 points per game (10th) on 46.8% shooting from the field (17th) and 38.7% from beyond the arc (26th).
Expert Analysis and Prediction
San Antonio might be playing at home, but the Spurs could still be short-handed for this matchup, and that makes New Orleans the pick to get the road win and ATS cover.
The Spurs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games and New Orleans is 2-1 ATS over its last three. The Pelicans beat the Spurs 98-95 at home on Dec. 27, and I believe New Orleans will get it done in San Antonio on Saturday. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram should be the two best players on the floor in this matchup.
Pick: Pelicans 121 Spurs 112
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