It’s a possible Western Conference playoff preview on Wednesday night when the New Orleans Pelicans visit the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers, who play their first home game in weeks as they had to leave their arena for the Grammy Awards.

Wednesday is the third of four regular-season meetings, with the teams having split two meetings, each winning on the road. They most recently played on Jan. 5 in New Orleans and the Clippers prevailed 111-95. Paul George made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and nine rebounds, and James Harden had 13 assists and eight points for the Clippers, who led by as many as 31 in the fourth. The Clippers played suffocating defense against New Orleans’ top two scorers, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, each of whom was held to 12 points.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Clippers Game Information

finally back home tomorrow

️ https://t.co/agPxoC6UQK pic.twitter.com/uNRJj8N6Zv

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 7, 2024

• When: Wednesday, February 7th, 2024, 10:00 PM ET
• Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: WRNO 99.5 FM (Pelicans) // KLAC 570 AM (Clippers)
• Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Odds: Pelicans (+7.5) // Clippers (-7.5)

Why Bet on the New Orleans Pelicans?

New Orleans won its third game in a row Monday, 138-100 over Toronto. Brandon Ingram had 41 points vs. the Raptors on 16-for-21 shooting with eight made three-pointers along with nine assists and six rebounds in just 30 minutes of action. He became the first player in NBA history to score 40 points and drop nine assists without turning the ball over in 30 or fewer minutes of action. The eight made three-pointers were a career high. He made six alone in the third quarter, a franchise record.

“We have been on our guys to shoot more 3s,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “B.I. especially. He has it in him.”

Monday also mattered because it was the 46th game Ingram has played this season. With 32 games to go in the 2023-24 campaign, Ingram has already played in more games than he did all of last season, when a left toe injury knocked him out for 29 consecutive games and he appeared in 45 games total.

CJ McCollum had 20 points on Monday and is shooting 108-of-252 (.429) on above the break three-pointers, which is ranked 1st in the NBA (min. 6 3PA per game). Additionally, McCollum is shooting 43.7% from three-point range, which is ranked 1st in the NBA for any player attempting seven or more threes a game. Forward Zion Williamson is averaging 17.2 points in the paint this season, which ranks 2nd in the NBA.

The Pelicans have been causing havoc on the defensive end of the ball this season. New Orleans is ranked 2nd in steals per game (8.2) and 7th in the NBA in deflections per game (15.3). Additionally, the Pelicans are ranked 4th in the NBA in isolation defensive PPP, averaging 0.87 points per possession and are ranked 4th in the NBA in loose balls recovered per game with 5.9 per game.

Why Bet on the Los Angeles Clippers?

Los Angeles finished 6-1 on a massive seven-game road Grammys trip through the Eastern Conference that began on Jan. 26 and ended with Monday’s 149-144 win in Atlanta. Those were the most wins and the best record they’ve have ever had on that yearly trip since it began in 1999. During the span of the road trip, the Clippers ranked second in the NBA in offensive rating (124.2), third in plus/minus differential (9.9) and fourth in net rating (9.6) and in points (123.3).

Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, James Harden had 30 points and 10 assists, and Paul George scored 18 for Los Angeles against the Hawks.

“Acquiring James and being healthy, Kawhi (Leonard) being healthy, (Paul George) being healthy, being All-Stars,” Coach Ty Lue said. “We know we can play with the elite teams in this league. It makes it a lot easier on Kawhi and PG not to have to handle and make every play for themselves and for our team. So, James has been great, just keeps everybody happy… takes a lot of grind off of PG and Kawhi.”

Since November 17, the Clippers are an NBA-leading 31-8 (.795). During the span, LAC ranks first in offensive rating (122.3) and in 3P% (40.5), third in plus/minus differential (7.7) and fifth in FG% (50.1). Overall, they lead the NBA in 3-point percentage (39.9), rank third in plus/minus differential (6.4) and fifth in field goal percentage (49.7) and in steals.

Leonard, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, is having his healthiest and most efficient season of his career, playing in 43 of 47 games and averaging 24.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists with a career-high true shooting percentage of 63.6. He’s also shooting career-highs at the rim (78 percent) and from three (45 percent). Normal Powell ranks first in the NBA in games with at least 10 points off the bench (40), and is the only player in the NBA to be shooting at least 49% from the field, 45% from three and 85% from the free-throw line off the bench.

The Clippers are 19-4 (.826) at home this season, the third-best winning percentage on home court in the NBA. LAC is first in the NBA at home in three-point shooting (40.1), fourth in field goal percentage (50.4) and sixth in plus/minus differential (8.7).

Pelicans vs. Clippers Betting Trends

• New Orleans is 5-1 SU in the last 6 games against LA Clippers.
• The Pelicans are 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games against LA Clippers.
• The totals went under in 4 of New Orleans’ last 6 games.
• Los Angeles is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 games.
• The Clippers are 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
• The totals went under in 5 of LA Clippers’ last 7 games.

Pelicans vs. Clippers Expert Betting Prediction

Clippers 118, Pelicans 112.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2023-24 NBA season previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest basketball betting odds on our online Bitcoin sportsbook.

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