The Boston Celtics hit the road to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday at Smoothie King Center. New Orleans is 12-36 overall and 8-17 at home, while Boston is 33-15 overall and 17-6 on the road. New Orleans has dropped four straight games after losing to the Dallas Mavericks 137-136 on Jan. 29. Boston is looking to build off its dominant 122-100 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics are 20-28, while the Pelicans are 19-28-1 against the spread this season.
Tipoff in New Orleans is at 8 p.m. ET. The Celtics are favored by 11 points in the latest Pelicans vs. Celtics odds from SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 232.5 points. Before locking in any Pelicans vs. Celtics picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 15 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 140-100 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $3,000. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Boston vs. New Orleans and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for the game:
- Pelicans vs. Celtics spread: Pelicans +11
- Pelicans vs. Celtics over/under: 232.5 points
- Pelicans vs. Celtics money line: Pelicans: +404, Celtics: -552
- Pelicans vs. Celtics picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Celtics can cover
The Celtics will head into Wednesday’s matchup on the come-up: they were handed a two-point loss on Jan. 27, but they sure didn’t let that happen against the Bulls on Wednesday. The Celtics blew past the Bulls 122-100. Kristaps Porzingis had an outstanding game, shooting 8-for-14 from long range en route to dropping a double-double on 34 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in threes (eight).
Jaylen Brown was another key player, going 10 for 18 en route to 28 points plus six assists and six rebounds. Jayson Tatum continues to play at an extremely high level on both ends for the Celtics. The six-time NBA All-Star enters Friday’s game averaging 26.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. See which team to back here.
Why the Pelicans can cover
Meanwhile, the Pelicans’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight defeat. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 137-136 to the Mavericks. Despite their loss, the Pelicans saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays.
Trey Murphy III went 13 for 17 en route to 32 points plus six rebounds. Murphy III is now averaging 21.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Zion Williamson, who went 11 for 18 en route to 29 points plus seven assists and six rebounds. Williamson has been outstanding this season, and is one of four New Orleans players averaging 21 or more points per game. Williamson enters Friday averaging 23.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game — both team highs. See which team to back here.
How to make Pelicans vs. Celtics picks
The model has simulated Pelicans vs. Celtics 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Pelicans vs. Celtics on Friday, and which side of the spread holds all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Pelicans spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
