Pelicans vs Nuggets Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, March 30th - Knup Sports

Check out our free Pelicans vs Nuggets pick and preview for this NBA game in Denver. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Pelicans vs Nuggets NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets
Where: Denver at Ball Arena
Date: Thursday, March 30th
Betting Odds DEN -7.5, NO +235 | DEN -293 O/U OFF

The Pelicans come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 38-38. So far, the team has gone 36-40-0 against the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, New Orleans has an overall record of 2-1, including going 2-1 against the spread.

Not only did the Pelicans drop their last game to the Warriors. But they also picked up an ATS loss, as they fell by a score of 120-109 as 8 point underdogs. New Orleans missed out on an opportunity to add a win to their resume, as they held a 17 point lead going into halftime. In the loss, Brandon Ingram led the team in scoring with 26 points on a field goal percentage of 40.9%.

The Nuggets come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 51-24. So far, the team has gone 40-34-1 against the spread. Against the Pelicans, the Nuggets are looking to add to their current 4 game winning streak. The average margin of victory across these matchups is 12.0.

Denver is going for another win in today’s game, as they previously took down the 76ers. Going into the game, they were 10 point favorites against the spread. Their 116-111 victory was not enough to cover. Denver went into halftime with a narrow 4 point lead before being able to slightly add to that margin by the games end. Leading the team in scoring was Nikola Jokic, as he contributed 25 points while hitting 72.7% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Pelicans picked up the 121-106 win over the Nuggets. The Pelicans point margin of victory was enough to cover the spread as 2.0 point favorite. So far this season, the Nuggets have a record of 2-1 vs the Pelicans. In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Pelicans averaged 115.5 points per game vs Denver, which was an increase over their season-long average. On the other side, the Nuggets also experienced an uptick in scoring during head-to-head matchups, averaging 119.75 points per game vs New Orleans. Spanning across the last 5 head-to-head matchups, the Pelicans and Nuggets have been competitive, with an average margin of victory sitting at just 1 points per game. This has resulted in a 3-2 ATS record for New Orleans. Over the course of these games, they averaged 229 points per game, leading a 2-3 over-under record.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

This season, the New Orleans offense is ranked 15th in the NBA in scoring at 114.3 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Pelicans will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.0 made 3’s per game. If New Orleans continues to struggle with their outside shot, they may look to start playing with more pace, as they are currently 14th in the league in possessions per game.

Against the Nuggets, the Pelicans will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 13th in points allowed.

This season, the Pelicans offense has primarily worked through CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 69 games, McCollum is 45th in the NBA at 20.8 points per game. So far, him and Valanciunas have accounted for 32% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 35.1 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Jonas Valanciunas is grabbing 10.1 rebounds for New Orleans to go along with 1.8 assists.

Coming into today’s action, Denver is averaging 116.8 points per contest. This figure places them 9th in the league. Coming into today’s game, the Nuggets will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 12.1 made 3’s per game. If Denver continues to struggle with their outside shot, they may look to start playing with more pace, as they are currently 23rd in the league in possessions per game.

Currently, the Nuggets defense is ranked 14th in points allowed. So far, opposing teams are averaging 110.41 points per game vs the unit.

One situation to keep an eye on leading up the game is the availability of Nikola Jokic, as he is currently questionable on the injury report. If he is able to play, the team will have it’s 1-2 punch availble as Jokic leads the team in scoring at 24.9 points per game while Murray is 2nd at 20.1. For the season, Jokic is 45th in the NBA in usage rate and 3rd in player efficiency. Behind him, Murray has taken 18.8% of the team’s field goal attempts, connecting at a rate of 45.4%.