The Boston Celtics (33-15) travel to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans (12-36) on Friday, January 31st. This game will be played at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans and televised on NBCS. The Celtics are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pelicans are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pelicans. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET.
Celtics vs Pelicans
The Celtics Are Coming Off A Win
The Celtics improved to 33-15 on the season with a 122-100 win over the Bulls on Wednesday. Boston, playing at home, covered the -14.5 point spread, while the game’s total of 222 points fell short of the 231.5 O/U line.
Boston set the tone early with a 10-0 run, jumping out to a 13-0 lead. They took control in the 2nd quarter, outscoring Chicago 41-28, and entered the 4th quarter with a 96-76 lead, closing out the game by edging the Bulls 26-24 in the final period.
The Pelicans Are Coming Off A Win
The Pelicans fell to 12-36 on the season after a narrow 137-136 loss to the Mavericks on Wednesday. New Orleans was +1 point underdogs at home, and the game ended in a push. The total score of 273 points exceeded the O/U line of 233.5 by 39.5 points.
New Orleans took control in the 2nd quarter, outscoring Dallas 31-22, but the Mavericks responded with a 40-30 3rd quarter. The Pelicans made a strong push in the 4th, scoring 43 points to Dallas’ 40, but ultimately came up just short.
Celtics Offense Breakdown
Kristaps Porzingis hit 8 threes at a 57.1% clip, finishing with 34 points and 11 rebounds in the Celtics’ win over the Bulls. He shot 55.6% from the field, as did Jaylen Brown, who added 28 points and 6 assists.
Boston connected on 18 threes, shooting 40.9% from deep and 47.1% overall. Derrick White contributed 22 points, hitting 4 threes, with 7 points each in the 3rd and 4th quarters.
Pelicans Offense Breakdown
The Pelicans shot 53.1% from the field and hit 15 threes at a 48.4% clip in their 137-136 loss to the Mavericks. Trey Murphy III led the way with 32 points, knocking down 5 threes and shooting 76.5% overall.
Zion Williamson added 29 points, while Dejounte Murray contributed 27. Murphy scored 13 points in the 4th quarter, while Murray added 11 in the final frame.
Celtics Team Defense
The Celtics put together a strong defensive performance on Wednesday, holding the Bulls to just 100 points. Boston was consistent throughout, allowing 23 points in the 1st quarter, 28 in the 2nd, 25 in the 3rd, and 24 in the 4th. The Celtics limited the Bulls to 40% shooting from the field.
Boston also did a great job defending the three-point line, with Chicago making only 15 threes on 30% shooting. The Bulls went 11/12 from the free-throw line. The Celtics grabbed 39 defensive rebounds while allowing 10 offensive boards. They also added 9 steals and 3 blocks.
Pelicans Team Defense
The Celtics put together a strong defensive performance on Wednesday, holding the Bulls to just 100 points. Boston gave up 23 points in the 1st quarter, 28 in the 2nd, 25 in the 3rd, and 24 in the 4th.
Boston limited Chicago to 40% shooting from the field and 30% from three, where the Bulls hit 15 threes. The Celtics also sent Chicago to the free-throw line 12 times, where they made 11. Boston added 9 steals and 3 blocks.
Celtics vs Pelicans Trends
- Through their last ten road contests, the Celtics offense has averaged 109 points per game while allowing an average of 105. Boston posted an overall record of 6-4 while going 4-5-1 ATS.
- Across the Pelicans last five home games, the team averaged 112 points per game while allowing 121. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 2-3, while going 1-4 straight-up.
- Going back to their last three games as the underdog, the Pelicans have a straight up record of 0-3. But, their mark vs the spread was just 0-2-1.
- Although the Celtics have a strong straight up record in their last five games as the betting favorite, they have not done as well vs the spread going 2-3.
Celtics vs Pelicans Prediction
For a pick on the point-spread in this Celtics vs. Pelicans matchup, our bet is to grab the Pelicans at +11. Even though our projections have the Celtics winning 138-136, we see the Pelicans as the play on the point-spread.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 231.5 and given that our model is projecting 274 points between the teams, we like the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 31, 2025 Celtics, Pelicans