The New Orleans Pelicans might finally be realizing their potential – which is a scary thought for the rest of the Western Conference. The Pelicans have won three straight, including an OT win in Boston last night and bring their #4 scoring offense into Atlanta for the 1/17 NBA free pick total play. Oddsmakers have set the O/U at 222 but does New Orleans playing their second game in as many nights play into that number? Can the Hawks get another outright win over a Western Conference powerhouse as they did in their last game against San Antonio?
When Do the Pelicans Start to Tire?
New Orleans has scored 116+ points in three straight games but that total is skewed a bit by the last two contests going into OT. On a bright note, the Pelicans have found their stride late in those games, scoring 12 in OT in last night’s 116-113 win over Boston and tallying 14 points in a 123-118 win over the Knicks on Sunday. Of course something to take note about those games is that the 1/17 NBA free pick total play will be the Pelicans third road game in four nights.
Anthony Davis logged 44 minutes last night and DeMarcus Cousins over 42. New Orleans starters combined for over 160 minutes in the win over Boston and the ‘under’ is 5-2 the last 7 times that has happened. The ‘under’ is 5-2 in the last seven Pelicans road games overall and is 12-4 in New Orleans last 16 games vs a team with a winning percentage below .400%. If there’s ever a time to get complacent for the Pelicans it’s when you’re tired and up against a 12-31 Hawks team.
Pelicans need to follow up come in ready versus the Hawks after the solid win against Celtics. Do not take it lightly. Take over the game early & don’t let up.
— Tyler Harp (@TylerHarp18) January 17, 2018
Does Atlanta Have Upset on Their Minds?
The Hawks have the worst record in the NBA but they haven’t bought into a full on tank just yet. Atlanta knocked off the Spurs 102-99 on Monday night at home as +5.5 ‘dogs. Tonight’s line is just ATL +2.5 after opening at ATL +4 which could suggest a close contest or an outright Hawks win (just a +120 ML). The 1/17 NBA free pick would lean towards the ‘under’ as it has done in the last four Atlanta wins.
The Pelicans average 111.2 points per game – but this has to be a road weary New Orleans club. Davis has logged 94 total minutes the last two games and missed a January 10th game against Memphis with an ankle sprain so he could be very limited tonight. His absence would normally open up the lane for the Hawks, but they’ve still got to contend with Cousins down there. Atlanta does have the #4 three point shooting team in the NBA, so tonight’s 222 total is going to be very hit or miss.
1/17 NBA Free Pick – Betting
The ‘under’ is 7-3 in Atlanta’s last 10 games and they haven’t faced a total above ‘222’ since December 4th (90-110 loss to Brooklyn). A tired New Orleans team might mean a lot of easy points for the Hawks tonight, but it also means the Pelicans are going to be stale on the offensive end. New Orleans shot over 54% in the first game this season and Atlanta shot 47% from downtown but the final score was still only a 106-105 Pelicans home win. Under is the likely outcome in the 1/17 NBA free pick
Pick: New Orleans Pelicans / Atlanta Hawks ‘under’ 222
