Basketball. NBA. Play-in Tournament
New Orleans Pelicans vs San Antonio Spurs
Smoothie King Center (New Orleans)
14.04.2022, 04:30 (UTC+3)
No margin for error, that's the slogan of tonight's game. Playing on home court and having experienced CJ McCollum makes the home team a favorite, according to bookmakers. That said, the visitors have already proved that they are used to winning on the road.
Claim Your Welcome Bonus!The Pelicans will be with McCollum but without Ingram
With the signing of CJ, the team got a great fighting trio, even without Zion, and overall Orleans has been pretty active in holding on to the play-in zone, so the chances of a second game tonight are pretty good.
The last stretch of the regular season has not been great for the team, though, losing their last two games to Golden State and the Grizzlies. It should be noted that both of these teams were among the season leaders, while the teams on the way down ended up winning, namely the games against Sacramento and Portland.
Brandon Ingram is not in the rotation tonight, but the tandem of Valanciunas and McCollum could prove to be too much of an asset against younger opponents.
This season has already turned out well for Popovich
Aside from the title of winningest coach, his feisty young team has still managed to slip into that very play-in.
The team spent the final part of the regular season with mixed success losing the last three games in a row, but before that got the same three-game winning streak. That's why you can expect anything today, even though any team can win in one game.
Only Doug McDermott is missing tonight, but it's not a painful loss for the system, so a surprise win is quite possible.
Injuries and suspensions
- New Orleans: Brandon Ingram;
- San Antonio: Doug McDermott, Romeo Langford (day-to-day).
Expert Betting Tips
The teams have met four times this season and San Antonio has won three games, two of which were road victories, including the last game on March 27 by a four-point margin (107-103). Popovich's team has been even more assured on the road than on the home court with 18 wins and 23 losses, while the host team has a close record of 19 wins and 22 losses. A lot depends on this game today, but defense is not the strong side of the hosts, and therefore the bet on the total over 220 is a risky one, though you should consider a possible victory for the guests.
Betting options
- Total Over (224.5) for 1.77;
- San Antonio To Win for 2.85;
- DeJounte Murray Blocks TO (0.5) for 3.65.
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