The 21-45 Pelicans will be hosting the 36-28 Raptors tonight at 8 PM EST. The Raptors have listed Jakob Poeltl and Trayce Jackson-Davis as Questionable, while AJ Lawson and Collin Murray-Boyles are out. The Pelicans have listed Bryce McGowens as Out but will be healthy otherwise.
The Raptors are 2.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 242.5 points.
Pelicans vs. Raptors prediction, preview
Toronto comes in as the fifth seed in the East, but their recent stretch has been a grind. They’re 4-6 in their last 10 with a 112.6 OFFRTG and 111.8 DEFRTG, scoring 109.8 PPG with 26.3 APG. They recently crushed Dallas 122-92 on March 8 but got closed out late by Houston 113-99 on March 10. Jakob Poeltl’s status tonight will have a big impact on this matchup, since TJD is Questionable and CMB is listed Out. If Poeltl is unable to suit up and the Raptors don’t have their other usual centers available, they’ll have to rely on Sandro Mamukelashvili. Granted, Mamu is playing well this season, but they’ll certainly be thin at Center and will have issues protecting the rim and will be missing a big screener and paint finisher.
New Orleans is better than their record suggests, but something just ain’t right for the Pelicans. They’re 6-4 in their last 10 but have a miserable 21-45 record on the season, and their roster can certainly do better. In their last five, they’re posting 119.7 OFFRTG and 119.9 DEFRTG. They’ve also been taking a massive 32 trips to the line in this five game span, which helps keep their scoring afloat. We saw that recently against the Wizards, against whom the Pelicans hung 138 points and set a franchise record for points from the line in the win. Yes, it was those same Wizards who just conceded 43 FTA and 83 points in a single game to Bam Adebayo.
Pelicans vs. Raptors pick, best bet
Best Bet: New Orleans Pelicans +2.5 (-115)
This is the first time these two teams will play each other tonight, and I’m anticipating that the Raptors will sorely miss having their typical depth of Centers, especially against a team who has Zion Williamson, one of the best paint bruisers in the game.
