Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction and Betting Tips | Jan. 8, 2025

The Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans matchup is one of the eight games scheduled for Wednesday. Both Western Conference teams have struggled this season. Portland is 13th with a 12-23 record, while New Orleans is last with a 7-30 record.

The two teams have played each other 78 times and split those games. This will be their fourth and final meeting this season. The Trail Blazers lead the season series 2-1. They last played on Nov. 5, when Portland won 118-100 behind Anfernee Simons’ 24 points. New Orleans was led by Brandon Ingram’s 27 points.

Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans game details and odds

The Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans game is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at Smoothie King Center. The matchup will be broadcast locally on GCSEN and KUNP / KATU 2.2. Fans can also stream it live on NBA League Pass and FuboTV.

Moneyline: Trail Blazers (+125) vs. Pelicans (-150)

Spread: Trail Blazers (+2.5) vs. Pelicans (-2.5)

Total (O/U): Trail Blazers -110 (o226.5) vs. Pelicans -110 (u226.5)

Editor's note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.

Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans preview

The Trail Blazers are coming off of a close 118-115 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday. They were led by Anfernee Simons’ 38 points, while Shaedon Sharpe had a near triple-double of 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Portland has won just four of its past 10 games. It is also just 4-15 on the road, which doesn’t bode well for Wednesday’s game in New Orleans.

The Pelicans got Zion Williamson back in action on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves after he missed 27 games with a left hamstring strain. However, that wasn’t enough to prevent a 104-97 loss. Dejounte Murray led the team with 29 points, while Williamson had 22 points.

While New Orleans seems out of postseason contention right now, stranger things have happened in the NBA. The Pels need to go on a run for the rest of the season. Looking at their depth, they should be more than able to do so.

Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans betting props

Anfernee Simons’ points total is set at 22.5. He has at least scored 22 points in each of the past five games. Bet on Simons to get the streak going and score over 22.5 points against New Orleans.

Dejounte Murray’s points total is set at 20.5. After a great outing against Minnesota, bet on Murray to build on it and go past the 20.5-point mark on Wednesday as well.

Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans prediction

The Pelicans might be playing the second leg of a back-to-back but they are slightly favored to get a win Wednesday. If Williamson can play for two straight games without rest, New Orleans should easily cover the spread for a win and tie the season series with Portland. This should be a relatively high-scoring game, with the team total going past 226.5 points.