New Orleans Pelicans vs. Atlanta Hawks Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Regular-season NBA action will resume Sunday evening with a compelling non-conference matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks. Coverage begins from State Farm Arena in Atlanta at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Score Prediction

Hawks 121, Pelicans 114

Best Bets

Hawks -3.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Pelicans vs. Hawks Predictions

After finishing tenth in the West with a record of 29-41 SU last year, New Orleans briefly kept that same ball rolling with another underwhelming start to this season, as the Pelicans opened with a miserable 14-26 SU and 18-22 ATS skid – with 16 of those SU losses coming by 10+ PTS.

The Pelicans have played decent basketball since mid-January though, considering New Orleans enters Sunday riding a relatively pedestrian 15-15 SU and 16-13-1 ATS stretch – while tallying 116.9 OPPG and allowing just 109.6 DPPG across that timeframe.

On the other hand, Atlanta also posted a lackluster start to the season, as the Hawks kicked things off with a frustrating 16-25 SU and 14-27 ATS skid – despite getting tagged as favorites in 25 of those matchups.

Atlanta has played solid, yet inconsistent basketball since New Year’s Day though, considering the Hawks boast records of 19-10 SU and 15-14 ATS across their last 29 games – while yielding lofty averages of 114.9 OPPG and 112.9 DPPG during that span.

I’ll back Atlanta here, as the Hawks are 7-0 SU and 4-3 ATS in their last seven home games, while generating 123.7 OPPG and allowing just 113.1 DPPG across that window – likely presenting a difficult road task for a Pelicans squad that’s surrendered 130+ PTS in four of their last seven contests (121 DPPG).

Pelicans vs. Hawks Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds

Pelicans vs. Hawks Betting Resources

• Matchup: Southwest vs. Southeast
• Date: Sunday, March 20, 2022
• Venue: State Farm Arena
• Location: Atlanta, GA
• TV-Time: NBA League Pass - 6:00 p.m. ET
• Injury Report

New Orleans Pelicans Betting Analysis

• SU: 29-41
• ATS: 34-35-1
• O/U: 28-40-2

After last year’s disappointing 31-41 SU showing, New Orleans briefly kept that same ball rolling with another rocky start to this season, as the Pelicans opened with a frustrating 14-26 SU skid – with more than half of those losses coming by double-digits (16).

New Orleans has admirably flipped the script since the acquisition of CJ McCollum though, considering the Pelicans enter Sunday riding a sturdy 11-10 SU, 12-9 ATS run – while surrendering just 109.7 DPPG to their opponents across that window.

Atlanta Hawks Betting Analysis

• SU: 35-35
• ATS: 29-41
• O/U: 37-33

Atlanta was riddled with incredibly high expectations after last year’s unexpected Eastern Conference Finals’ run, as the Hawks lost 26-of-41 games out of the gate this season – despite getting tagged as favorites in 25 of those contests.

The Hawks have been on quite the rollercoaster since January though, considering Atlanta is 19-10 SU and 15-14 ATS in their last 29 games – despite averaging a lofty 114.9 OPPG across that window.

Pelicans vs. Hawks Head-to-Head

The Hawks swept a two-game regular-season set against New Orleans last year, with the first matchup soaring over the total at a score of 126-103 (O 213), while the second stayed under with a score of 123-107 (U 232). The most recent matchup between these teams took place back in October of this season though, which resulted in another relatively low-scoring victory for Atlanta (102-99, U 220).

Key Players to Watch

• NOP: CJ McCollum - SG (22.1 PPG, 4.6 REB, 5.1 AST)
• NOP: Jonas Valanciunas - C (17.9 PPG, 11.4 REB, 2.5 AST)
• ATL: Trae Young - PG (28 PPG, 3.8 REB, 9.5 AST)
• ATL: Bogdan Bogdanovic - SG (14.2 PPG, 4 REB, 3.2 AST)

Pelicans vs. Hawks Betting Conclusion

After blowing out the Spurs in San Antonio on Friday night (W, 124-91), the Pelicans hit the road again for Sunday’s contest as moderate underdogs against the Hawks at State Farm Arena – marking the 12^th time New Orleans has been an underdog in their last 15 games.

I’ll back Atlanta here, as the Pelicans are 2-5 SU and ATS in their last seven games, while tallying 118.9 OPPG and surrendering 121 DPPG during that timeframe – setting the stage for a tough road matchup against a Hawks squad that’s averaging 118.2 OPPG across their latest 4-1 SU run.

Pelicans vs. Hawks Betting Trends

• The Pelicans are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games.
• The Hawks are 7-1 ATS in their last eight matchups against New Orleans.
• The total has gone OVER in five of the last seven Pelicans' games.
• The Pelicans are 0-6 SU in their last six matchups against Atlanta.
• The Hawks are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games.
• The total has gone UNDER in seven of the last ten matchups between New Orleans and Atlanta.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson