Pelicans vs. Clippers Prediction, Picks for Wednesday, Feb. 7
Here's everything you need to know about Pelicans vs. Clippers on Wednesday, Feb. 7 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today.
The Clippers enter this game scorching hot as they have won nine of their last 10 games, including six of seven games on their most recent road trip. They’ve also gone 8-2 against the spread over this same span.
The Pelicans have been in good form lately as they have won three straight games. However, will they have enough to stay competitive with the surging Clippers?
Find my Pelicans vs. Clippers prediction and pick below.
Pelicans vs. Clippers Prediction
Pick: Clippers -6.5
Pelicans Need 3-point Improvement
While the Pelicans have won three straight games, it is important to contextualize whom they have beaten and lost to this season. Their three-game winning streak came against the lowly Raptors, Spurs and Rockets, but they also recently lost three straight games to the Thunder, Bucks and Celtics — all in blowout fashion.
Over the past month, the Pelicans have been awful against strong opponents as they also lost by double digits to the Nuggets and Suns in January. There has been a clear pattern of dominant victories over weak competition and blowout losses to the elite teams over the past four weeks. The Clippers certainly qualify as an elite opponent, so what will the Pelicans have to do to change their luck this time around?
Let’s start with not shooting 39.9% (first percentile) in Effective Field Goal percentage (eFG%) like they did in their previous matchup with the Clippers, which was the Pelicans' worst shooting performance of the season. This game will inevitably be closer with positive shooting regression.
They also need to find a way to generate more 3s as the Clippers attempted way more 3s than them in that game. The Pelicans' low 3-point attempt rate has hampered them within the past two weeks as they recently lost a game to the Celtics almost entirely because the Celtics blew them out of the game by making seven more 3-pointers than them. They must find a way to generate more 3s while simultaneously limiting the Clippers' quality attempts from beyond the arc.
Clippers Are Elite
The masses are finally starting to realize how much of a juggernaut this Clippers team is with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Paul George. When those three have shared the floor, the Clippers have a Net Rating of +13.5 (98th percentile). This is an elite team and is clearly at least the third-best team in the NBA behind the Nuggets and the Celtics.
The Clippers have split their two games with the Pels with LA's win coming most recently on January 5th. The Clippers completely blew out this Pelicans team by posting an elite 127.8 Offensive Rating on 62.7% eFG% shooting. They generated a high 3-point attempt rate in that game by taking 44% of their shots from 3 and converting on 45% of these looks.
The Clippers also thrived in transition in that win as over 20% of their possessions were transition opportunities, and they converted those opportunities at an elite rate. Ultimately, It was a complete domination of the Pelicans on the Pels' own floor, but is there reason to expect the result to be different this time around?
Pelicans vs. Clippers Prediction, Odds
| Pelicans Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 235 -110/-110 | +215 |
| Clippers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 235 -110/-110 | -265 |
The Clippers are definitely underpriced here at -6.5 at home, and this line should be closer to -8 in this spot.
The Pelicans just closed at +8 in Boston against the Celtics, and I believe the Clippers are about equal with the Celtics in power rating right now, so I will back the Clippers at -6.5 here.
