The Pelicans didn’t just go to Portland to hang tight, they went to the Trail Blazers’ court and stuffed two wins down their throats. Can Portland now return the favor in New Orleans? Read the Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Game 3 Prediction.
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Game 3 New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers
- When: April 19, 2018, 9:00 PM ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center
- Spread: New Orleans -3
- Over/Under: 216
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Why Bet On The Trail Blazers?
To add insult to injury, after a crushing Game 1 loss the Trail Blazers are now looking down a 3-0 hole the Pelicans are digging in New Orleans.
Game 2 had to have been much more than disappointing. Imagine thinking everything was going fine at halftime and then watching another win slip away.
Even while you managed to tie the game with 3:43 left on the clock, there wasn’t anything you could do to secure the lead. Things just weren’t working out. At the end of the buzzer, the score was 111-102.
What’s worse is the players seemed shell-shocked. Damian Lillard recognized as much when he admitted he himself had underperformed, “I give a lot of credit to them for executing their game plan,” Lillard commented, “seeing two and three guys and making the game difficult. But the opportunities that I do get, I’ve just got to be better. I think it’s as simple as that.”
The Trail Blazers are underway to Smoothie King Center and will face a huge, difficult challenge. If they do not win, it’s practically impossible they can win the series trailing three losses.
As it is, according to ESPN only three teams of 20 that have lost the first two games at home in a best-of-seven series have made a comeback to win the series.
Portland’s backcourt has to play flawlessly; in Game 2, Lillard only scored 17 points while CJ McCollum scored 22. That’s a combined 16 of 39 shots, it’s awful.
McCollum said, “This is a must-win. We’ve got to go in there and take both of them.” At least, he’s got that straight.
Why Bet On The Pelicans
Maybe more than a few people were expecting the Pelicans go into Portland and come away with just covering the spread.
You can probably count the people on one hand who would have ever imagined New Orleans went away with two wins under their belts. You won’t find any Trail Blazers fans who would’ve believed it.
But, the Pelicans are letting the good times roll while watching the Trail Blazers sing the blues. They know they’re on the verge of securing a three-game lead that would probably bury Portland.
The Pelicans suffered their win in Game 2. New Orleans was as much as 20 points in the first part of the game; if not for a great third quarter push from Anthony Davis, the result would have been very different.
But, even while Davis performed extremely well it’s been Jrue Holiday who’s truly made the difference in the Pelicans' two-game lead.
Holiday had more to do with the Pelicans shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. He also scored 33 points and dished out nine assists in Game 2.
Anthony Davis wound up with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Rondo needed just one assist to gain a triple-double at 16 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.
The Pelicans will run the momentum into Smoothie King Center where they’re 24-17. They know the Trail Blazers have a noose around their necks and need a win. If New Orleans can keep a lid on Lillard, they’ll be celebrating in the French Quarter tonight.
Free Prediction: New Orleans’ fans can bring the house down, which is what Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday will do at Smoothie King Center. Notch another win for New Orleans.