San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Pelicans 12/22/2022 Free Picks, Tips and Predictions
The San Antonio Spurs will go against the New Orleans Pelicans in NBA action in Smoothie King Center, LA, on Thursday, December 22, 2022, at 8:00 PM ET. The San Antonio Spurs won four of their past six matches as they continue their season of rebuilding. The Spurs, who have a record of 10-20, just defeated the Rockets by a large margin on the road. Devin Vassell dominated the game with 26 points as the youthful Rockets team was destroyed 124-105. The victory ended a two-game losing run for the Spurs. The victory was much more stunning because Keldon Johnson, the Spurs’ top scorer, was not there. Johnson’s damaged lower back forced him to miss the game. Gregg Popovich, the coach of the Spurs, was able to successfully juggle his lineup while he was away and guide his team to victory.
In their previous 10 matches, the Spurs scored an average of 112.5 points. They are making 35% of their three-point attempts over that span while shooting 48% from the field overall. The Spurs are dead last in points allowed per game and 19th in assists to turnovers this season. As of right now, San Antonio is the league’s 21st-best rebounding team.
- The San Antonio Spurs are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 matches.
- The total went OVER in 4 of San Antonio’s previous 5 meetings.
- The San Antonio Spurs are 4-13 SU in their previous 17 meetings.
San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Pelicans 12/22/2022 Free Picks, Tips and Predictions
The New Orleans Pelicans dropped out of the top place in the Western Conference after abruptly losing four consecutive matches. Following a seven-game unbeaten run for the Pelicans, there were four straight defeats. The Pelicans’ most recent game ended in a 128-119 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, who are now in first place in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks took the lead right away and held off a late 22-7 Pelicans surge to hand New Orleans its fourth consecutive loss. Jonas Valanciunas, a center for New Orleans, led the Pelicans with a season-high 37 points and 18 rebounds. The Bucks tormented Zion Williamson by throwing defenders at him from all over the floor, holding him to only 18 points after earning over 30 points over his previous nine games.
The Pelicans were driven by their offense both throughout their seven-game winning streak and even during their four consecutive defeats. New Orleans scored roughly 118 points per contest throughout this run. During this span, they are shooting 48% from the field, but they are only hitting 34% of their 3-point attempts. This year, they rank 7th in the NBA in both rebounding and assist-to-turnover ratio.
- The total went OVER in 5 of New Orleans’ last 6 matches.
- The New Orleans Pelicans are 1-4 SU in their last 5 matches.
- The total went UNDER in 9 of New Orleans’ last 11 matches against San Antonio.
San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Pelicans. The NBA pick for this game is the New Orleans Pelicans. This year, New Orleans defeated the Spurs twice, both times by margins of 10 or more. Williamson not participating in this game gives the Spurs a reprieve, but Johnson will be out for the second consecutive game, who is their own leading scorer. New Orleans is 12-4 at home so far this year and demonstrated their depth by playing a lot of games without important players. The New Orleans Pelicans will win to a predicted score of 116-110.
NBA Starting Time: 8:00 PM (EDT)
Location: Smoothie King Center, LA
Date: Thursday, December 22, 2022
TV: NBATV
NBA Odds: San Antonio Spurs +8
NBA Totals: 226
