The New Orleans Pelicans (5-19) travel to face off against the San Antonio Spurs (11-12) on Sunday, December 8th. This game will be played at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio and televised on Gulf. Both the Pelicans and Spurs will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 ET.

Pelicans vs Spurs

The Pelicans Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Pelicans dropped to 5-19 on the season after a 119-109 loss to the Thunder on Saturday. New Orleans, who were +8 point underdogs, failed to cover the spread at home. The total score of 228 points went over the line of 222.5.

Oklahoma City took control early with a 10-0 run, and the Pelicans couldn’t recover after falling behind 77-51 at halftime. New Orleans showed some fight in the second half, outscoring the Thunder 58-42, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.

The Spurs Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

San Antonio’s season record dropped to 11-12 after a 140-113 home loss to the Kings on Friday. The Spurs, who were +6.5 point underdogs, failed to cover the spread, losing by 27 points. The game’s total points of 253 exceeded the O/U line of 228 by 25 points.

San Antonio went on a 10-0 run early, extending their lead from 21-16 to 31-16. However, the Kings took control, outscoring the Spurs 36-26 in the 2nd quarter and 31-27 in the 3rd. Sacramento then pulled away in the 4th, outscoring the Spurs 40-27.

Pelicans Offense Breakdown

The Pelicans shot 48.1% from the field in their 119-109 loss to the Thunder, but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 29.7% of their threes. Dejounte Murray led the way with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, connecting on 3 threes at a 37.5% clip.

Herbert Jones added 24 points on 80% shooting, hitting 2 threes at 50%. Trey Murphy contributed 16 points, making 3 threes at 50% efficiency. Murray scored 13 points in the 3rd quarter, while Jones added 9 in the 4th.

Spurs Offense Breakdown

Julian Champagnie knocked down 6 threes at a 50% clip and led the Spurs with 30 points in their loss to the Kings. He hit 13 of his points in the opening quarter. Stephon Castle added 15 points, with 8 coming in the 3rd, and Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan each contributed 14 points.

The Spurs made 14 threes, shooting 34.1% from deep, while finishing with an overall field goal percentage of 42.9%. Champagnie connected on 50% of his shots from the field.

Pelicans Team Defense

The Pelicans struggled defensively in the 1st and 2nd quarters, giving up 35 and 42 points, respectively, but they tightened up in the 2nd half, allowing just 22 points in the 3rd and 20 in the 4th. Despite the improved effort, they couldn’t overcome the early deficit, allowing the Thunder to shoot 52% from the field.

New Orleans held Oklahoma City to 12 made threes on 37% shooting from deep. The Thunder also went 17/21 from the free-throw line. The Pelicans gave up 10 offensive rebounds but came up with 15 steals and 6 blocks.

Spurs Team Defense

The Pelicans struggled defensively in the 1st and 2nd quarters, giving up 35 and 42 points, respectively, but tightened up in the 2nd half, allowing just 22 points in the 3rd and 20 in the 4th. Despite the improved effort, they still allowed the Thunder to shoot 52% from the field.

From beyond the arc, the Pelicans gave up 12 threes on 37% shooting. They also sent the Thunder to the line 21 times, where they converted 17 free throws. New Orleans allowed 10 offensive rebounds but came up with 15 steals and 6 blocks.

Pelicans vs Spurs Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Pelicans have a straight up record of 0-10 while going 2-8 vs. the spread. The team averaged 97 points per game in this stretch.
• In their last three home games, San Antonio has averaged 116 points per game while allowing 114. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-1 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
• As the betting underdog, the Pelicans have an ATS mark of just 1-2 in their last three games. New Orleans posted a straight up mark of 1-2 in these matchups.
• Over the team’s last five games as the favorite, the Spurs struggled vs the spread going just 2-3. However, they still had a straight up mark of 3-2.

Pelicans vs Spurs Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Spurs to win, and have the projected score sitting at 145-125. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Spurs at -4.5.

As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 225, and our model projects the Pelicans and Spurs to reach a combined total of 270 points. Our bet is on taking the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* 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.