New Orleans @ San Antonio picks

Chris Paul has successfully made 63.5% of his shots from behind the three-point arc over the last 10 games, 23.4% higher than he's converted from 3-point range overall this year. The matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans is a strong one for shot attempts from beyond the arc; the other team's starting PGs have totaled the 3rd-most three attempts per game in the NBA this year (7.1). The 7th-fastest pace-of-play home offense in the league over the last 25 games has been the Spurs. The Spurs are expected to see an increase in opportunities in this contest from being pitted against the 5th-fastest pace-of-play visiting team in the league over the last 15 games (the Pelicans). Offensive rebounds preserve possession and create added opportunities for scoring and assists, and the Spurs rank 10th-best in in the NBA with 12.4 offensive boards per game over the last 5 games.

Stephon Castle has tallied 3.8 personal fouls per game over the last 5 games, 1.9 more than he's tallied overall this year. As a team, the San Antonio Spurs have been quite unsuccesful at drawing fouls of late: 3rd-worst in the league over the last 5 games with the home court advantage, averaging just 17.6 foul shot attempts per game. Over the last 15 games, the opposition's starting SGs have attempted 1.2 free throws per game (fewest in the NBA) vs. the Pelicans, facing an uphill battle to get to the free-throw line.