The New Orleans Pelicans, with a 37-25 record, take on the Philadelphia 76ers, with a 35-27 mark, in an inter-conference showdown this Friday night in the NBA.
The Pelicans are coming off a convincing away win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday and are looking to keep their winning streak alive.
Meanwhile, the 76ers are looking to bounce back from a recent home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. In a previous meeting in November, the Pelicans posted a 124-114 home win over the 76ers.
Pelicans Cling to Every Victory
Currently leading their division, the Pelicans are three games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks. Despite a recent loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Pelicans have won three of their last four games, including a rematch win over the Pacers.
Highlighting, they dominated the Raptors with a 139-98 away win on Tuesday, covering the line in three of their last five games. Zion Williamson, the 23-year-old power forward, has contributed an average of 22 points per game and 5.5 rebounds.
Brandon Ingram is in excellent form, consistently scoring 20+ points in four of his last five games and averaging 21.7 points per game.
CJ McCollum, the 32-year-old guard, has reached 20 points in two of his last five games, averaging 18.7 points per game.
The Pelicans have performed well as visitors, winning four of their last five games and covering the line in three of them.
Averaging 116.6 points per game, they rank 14th in scoring this season.
Defensively, they have limited opponents to 114 or fewer points in four of their last five games, conceding an average of 111.5 points, ranking them eighth in the league.
Pelicans play basketball tonight. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Sc5zc8zbK4
- New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 8, 2024
76ers Face Home Challenges
Philadelphia concludes their home stand with this matchup, looking to overcome their recent struggles. Despite a brief run of two straight wins, they suffered a setback with a home loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday, marked as four-point favorites.
Currently sitting in seventh place in the conference, the 76ers are just 1.5 games out of fourth place. However, their recent performance has seen them cover the spread in only one of their last five games.
Complicated by the absence of Joel Embiid due to injury, the team relies heavily on Tyrese Maxey, who unfortunately missed Wednesday's game due to a concussion and remains a doubt for the upcoming matchup.
Maxey, a 23-year-old point guard, has demonstrated his scoring ability by recording at least 24 points in four of his last five games, maintaining an impressive 26 points per game average on the season.
Tobias Harris, a 31-year-old power forward, has consistently contributed at least 18 points in three of his last four appearances.
However, he faced a dip in performance on Wednesday, scoring just eight points while maintaining a season average of 17.5 points per game.
On the other hand, Buddy Hield is dealing with a negative streak in his shooting accuracy, registering less than 40% in four of his last five games. Despite scoring 15 points on Wednesday, the 31-year-old guard has averaged 15.4 points per game.
The 76ers' recent home record is 2-3, including a win against the Charlotte Hornets, with only one instance of covering the spread in that span. Averaging 116.8 points on the season, they rank 13th in scoring.
Defensively, they have limited opponents to 117 or fewer points in four of their last five games, conceding an average of 113.8 points, ranking them 15th in the league.
