Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers odds, line, start time: 2023 NBA picks, March 12 predictions from proven model

The New Orleans Pelicans will take on the Portland Trail Blazers at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans is 32-35 overall and 21-12 at home, while Portland is 31-36 overall and 14-21 on the road. Both teams are currently on the outside looking in at the Western Conference play-in tournament, but with the Jazz in the 10th spot at 33-35, there’s still hope for each of these franchises.

This will be the third matchup between these two teams this season and they’ve split the first two contests both straight up and against the spread. This time around, Portland is favored by 2 points in the latest Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 230.5. Before entering any Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 21 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 61-30 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,700. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers:

• Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers spread: Pelicans +2
• Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers over/under: 230.5 points
• Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers money line: New Orleans +110, Portland -130
• Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers picks: See picks here

Featured Game | New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers

What you need to know about the Pelicans

On Saturday, the Pelicans lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home by a decisive 110-96 margin. Shooting guard Josh Richardson wasn’t much of a difference maker for New Orleans. Richardson finished with only six points on 2-for-10 shooting in his 26 minutes on the court.

However, CJ McCollum did have a nice game with 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The 10th-year veteran will have to continue carrying the load with Zion Williamson (hamstring) out and Brandon Ingram (ankle) listed as questionable.

What you need to know about the Trail Blazers

Meanwhile, Portland lost 120-119 to the Philadelphia 76ers this past Friday on a last-second jumper from Philadelphia’s center Joel Embiid with 0:01 left to play. Portland was up 71-56 at the end of the half but couldn’t hold on to the lead. The losing side was boosted by shooting guard Anfernee Simons, who shot 8-for-12 from downtown and finished with 34 points.

It was a strong return from Simons after he had missed seven of the previous eight games with an ankle injury. Simons should help take some of the pressure off Damian Lillard, who was averaging 24.9 shot attempts per game in his previous nine contests.

How to make Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans picks

The model has simulated Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers? And which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.