New Orleans @ Los Angeles picks

Relative to last season's 1.3 mark, Trey Murphy III's personal fouls per game have surged this season to 2.2. The Lakers have played at the 3rd-most lethargic tempo in the NBA over the last 5 games, which ought to decrease opportunities for the Pelicans. Trey Murphy III should suffer a reduction in performance across the board considering being on the road in this game.

Dorian Finney-Smith has converted 37.1% of his 3-point attempts this year, placing him in the 77th percentile among all players in the league. The Lakers check in as the 10th-most efficient 3-point shooting team in the NBA while on their home court this year. This year when they are playing at home, the other team's starting PFs have averaged 5.4 3-point attempts per game (3rd-most in the NBA) against the New Orleans Pelicans, marking this as a positive matchup. The Pelicans have played at the 4th-most up-tempo pace-of-play in the NBA over the last 20 games, which should lead to more possessions for the Los Angeles Lakers. The matchup vs. the Pelicans may be a positive one for getting to the free-throw line; the opposing team's starting PFs have attempted an enormous 4.6 free throws per game over the last 5 games (10th-most in the NBA).

Jose Alvarado has successfully made a whopping 2.0 3-pointers per game this year, quite a bit more than his 1.3 mark last year. The 4th-speediest pace-of-play team in the NBA over the last 20 games has been the Pelicans. The Pelicans rank as the best offensive rebounding offense in the league over the last 5 games (offensive rebounds maintain possession and may therefore create new chances for scoring and assists).

The Lakers have played at the 3rd-least up-tempo tempo in the league over the last 5 games. The Lakers have been the 4th-worst offensive rebounding offense in the NBA this year (offensive rebounds maintain possession, and a lack of them can therefore eliminate extra chances for scoring and assists).