PHILADELPHIA 76ERS VS. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS – ODDS AND PREDICTIONS – NOVEMBER 29, 2023

Greetings, basketball fans.  Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Latest Basketball News. 

One of the games on Wednesday’s slate features the Philadelphia 76ers (12-5 SU, 12-5 ATS) taking on the New Orleans Pelicans (9-9 SU, 10-7-1 ATS). 

So, without further delay, it is now time to dive into this matchup to see which team has the edge and why.

Tipoff

• When: Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
  
• Where: Smoothie King Center
  
• TV: BSNO and NBCS-PH

Philadelphia 76ers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Odds (via DraftKings)

Philadelphia 76ers vs. New Orleans Pelicans – Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

The Philadelphia 76ers started the season with eight wins across their first nine outings. Since that hot start, the Sixers have sort of cooled down a bit, going 4-4 over their last eight games. The good news is that following a pair of losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers (122-119 OT) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (112-99), the Sixers have produced wins in each of their last two outings. This includes a blowout 138-94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The 44-point loss was the worst loss of LeBron James’ career dating back to his arrival in 2003. 

“What needs to change in order for that to not happen again? A lot,” James said, via ESPN. “We got killed on the 3-point line. They made shots. Give them credit.”

The Sixers made 22 three-point shots compared to just seven for the Lakers. Philadelphia shot 47.8 percent from beyond the arc, while the Lakers shot just 25 percent. Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers’ scoring attack with 31 points, eight assists, and three rebounds. 

Joel Embiid finished with a triple-double that included 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. 

And while he sat out the fourth quarter, the Sixers outscored the Lakers by a 40-14 margin. Needless to say, the Sixers are hoping to have the same success against New Orleans.  

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans got off to somewhat of a slow start with just four wins in their first 10 outings.  The good news is New Orleans has gone 5-3 over their last eight games. The bad news is they come into this matchup amid a two-game losing streak. This includes a 114-112 against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. It was the second time that New Orleans lost to the Jazz in three days, and the fifth straight loss to Utah overall. 

Zion William paced New Orleans with 26 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. Brandon Ingram chipped in with 25 points, five assists and four rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas tallied 14 points and 13 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. Based on the recent trends between these two squads, the Pelicans are going to have a difficult time slowing down the Sixers. 

The Picks

The Spread

The Philadelphia 76ers are a one-point favorite coming into this matchup. Taking into consideration the trends for both teams coming into this contest, it is somewhat surprising that the spread is not much larger than one point for Philadelphia. Here are a few reasons why you should go with the road team to cover the spread. 

• The Sixers are 12-5 against the spread in their last 17 games overall.  
• Philadelphia is 6-1 ATS in its last seven matchups against Western Conference opponents. 
• The Sixers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against teams in the Southwest Division. 
• New Orleans is 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven matchups against teams in the Atlantic Division. 

Prediction: Sixers (-1)   

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup is 228 points via PointsBet. Below are a few trends that suggest why going with the UNDER total is the best choice in this contest.

• The UNDER has hit for Philadelphia four times in its last six matchups against the Pelicans. 
• In the Pelicans’ last five contests, the UNDER is a perfect 5-0. 
• The UNDER total has prevailed five times in New Orleans’ last six games against Eastern Conference opponents. 

Prediction: UNDER 228 points

Player Prop Bets

At the time of this writing, only four Sixers players had player prop data available. 

My first key player for the Sixers is none other than the reigning MVP, Joel Embiid. He currently has -115 odds of scoring more than 32.5 points and -115 odds of finishing with less than 32.5 points. 

In 11 career games against New Orleans, Embiid is averaging 27.1 points per contest, which is a bit lower than his projected points total for this contest. What is encouraging is that Embiid is averaging 32 points per game this season. Not only that but Embiid averaged 39.5 points per outing in two regular-season games against the Pelicans last season.  Last, but certainly not least, Embiid is averaging 33.2 points per game over his last 11 outings. While the trends may be neck and neck, going with the OVER for Embiid is probably a good call. 

My second key player to watch is Tyrese Maxey. He currently has -105 odds of scoring more than 26.5 points and -125 odds of finishing with less than 26.5 points. 

From a historical standpoint, Maxey’s scoring against the Pelicans (10.6 PPG in five career games) is a far cry from the projected scoring total for this matchup. However, now that he has become the second-leading scoring option for Philadelphia, his stock is trending upward, to say the least. 

He is averaging a career-best 26.5 points per contest.  Additionally, Maxey is averaging 27.5 points per game over his last 10 outings. Given these trends, it is probably safe to go with the OVER for Maxey as well. 

James’s Philadelphia Sixers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Picks

Spread: Philadelphia 76ers (-1)
Over/Under: Over 226 points
Player Prop Bet #1: Joel Embiid OVER 32.5 points
Player Prop Bet #2: Tyrese Maxey OVER 26.5 points