Free NBA Pick: Hawks vs. Pelicans NBA Odds
Looking for Atlanta Hawks vs. New Orleans Pelicans free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Hawks taking on the Pelicans on Friday, April 2nd, 2021 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Hawks Pelicans matchup.
2021 NBA Handicapping
(23-24) Atlanta Hawks vs. New Orleans Pelicans (22-24)
Date: Friday, April 2nd, 2021
Time: 9:00 PM EST
Venue: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana
NBA Moneyline Odds: Atlanta -115 | New Orleans -105
NBA Betting Odds: Hawks -1.5 | Pelicans +1.5
NBA Betting Total: O/U 223.5
The Atlanta Hawks will be traveling to the Smoothie King Center on Friday, April 2nd to take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
Atlanta is coming off a double-overtime victory against the Spurs 134-129 even with their best player Trae Young fouling out, while New Orleans dropped an overtime game against the Magic 105-100 with half of their roster being out.
The last time these two teams squared off was in March 2019 when the Hawks defeated the Pel’s 130-120 thanks to 33 points from then-rookie Trae Young.
Atlanta Hawks
Before Nate McMillan took over as head coach, the Hawks were 14-20 as they ranked 22nd in defensive rating (excluding garbage time, per Cleaning The Glass) at 114.0. Since coach McMillan was hired, the Hawks have won 10 of their last 14 games and rank 15th in the NBA with a 112.1 defensive rating. The Hawks also rank eighth in the league net rating at +5.0 since his the hiring, and they have been very good against the spread over this span.
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Trae Young is going to have to shoulder the scoring load with two starters being out for this game. He will need to infiltrate the Pelicans’ defense that allows the fourth-highest shooting percentage at the rim at 66.9% and the second-highest shooting percentage beyond the arc at 39.1% in the NBA.
Bojan Bogdanovic is finally finding his place on this team after missing almost two months from the season with an injury. Bogdanovic over his last five games is averaging 18 points per contest has emerged as the first option of the bench for this Hawks team. His playmaking ability is very underrated. He has dished out at least five assists in three of the last four games. Bojan has made eight of 13 threes in the last two games and is coming off of a season-high 28 points in the double-overtime victory.
De’Andre Hunter, John Collins, and Cam Reddish all remain out on Friday. Kris Dunn did not play Thursday as well against the Spurs, and his status for Friday is questionable.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans enter this game 12th in the Western Conference with a 21-26 record. They are 4-2 in their last six games but dropped their last contest against the Magic in overtime without their three top-scorers (Williamson, Ingram, and Ball).
Zion Williamson is blossoming into one of the brightest stars in the NBA and it’s just his sophomore season. Williamson was on a tear before spraining his thumb against the Celtics. His 24 consecutive games with at least 20 points are the most ever by an NBA player before turning 21 years old. The 20-year-old was averaging 31.3 points over his last six games prior to the injury and hopefully, he will be back tonight against the Hawks as they will need him to go up against Clint Capela’s size.
Williamson can’t be the only reliable source of scoring for the Pelicans though and they are going to need their shooters to step up if they want a shot a contending for a playoff spot. They need someone else to space the floor while Zion and the bigs are patrolling the paint. Nickel Alexander-Walker has been playing his best basketball over the last two weeks and his play needs to be consistent if New Orleans wants a shot at stealing a playoff bid in the play-in tournament.
As of right now Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and Lonzo Ball are all questionable for this game, so be on the lookout for who is in the starting lineup.
NBA Betting Trends:
- Atlanta is 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 6 games.
- Atlanta is 10-4 SU in their last 14 games.
- Atlanta is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against New Orleans.
- New Orleans is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans’ last 7 games.
- New Orleans is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans’ last 7 games against Atlanta.
Free Atlanta Hawks vs. New Orleans Pelicans NBA Prediction:
I like the Pelicans in this matchup if they get at least two of Zion, Ingram, or Lonzo to play. The Hawks are coming off a double-overtime victory against the Spurs and had five of their players play over 45 minutes in the game. I think Atlanta will start out slow and the Pelicans will take advantage of this.
If Zion plays there is absolutely no one on the Hawks that can match up with him defensively with John Collins being out. I have the Pelicans projected as a slight favorite with a full roster, so I will take the gamble on the injuries and lock in the Pelicans at +1.5 before the line loses value.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Pelicans +1.5
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