Free Pick | NBA | Thursday | April 2

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#541 New Orleans Pelicans +6.5 over Portland Trail Blazers 9:10 PM CT

Portland has secured a spot in the play-in bracket, currently #9 but with a chance to move up to #8 still a realistic possibility, sitting just a half-game back of the Clippers. The Blazers are 21-17 S/U at home but own a negative scoring differential on the season. The Blazers just beat the Clippers on Tuesday for a big win in that chase and while Portland is 7-3 in the past 10 games, this could be a dangerous spot on the schedule in-between much higher profile tests. The Pelicans have lost five in a row, but the losses have come through a tough schedule. Prior to the current slide the Pelicans had won five of the previous six, and four of the past seven defeats for New Orleans have come by five or fewer points. Trey Murphy is a question mark tonight, but the Pelicans still have a competitive lineup, and New Orleans has a win in this series this season. The Pelicans have played one of the toughest schedules in the NBA this season and are 2-23 vs. the league’s top 10 teams, meaning going a respectable 23-28 vs. everyone else. Portland has had a more favorable path, and Jerami Grant is expected to sit out on Thursday with a leg injury. The Pelicans have only nine S/U wins on the road, but this is one of the best ATS teams in the NBA at 43-33 ATS and the last month has featured mostly competitive results from New Orleans even against quality teams.