Cleveland Cavaliers vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 3/21/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Gulf Coast Sports

Smoothie King Center is the location where the New Orleans Pelicans (24-46) will try to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (42-27) on Saturday.

The Cavaliers played the Bucks and took home the win by a score of 123-116 in their last contest. Regarding fouls, the Cavaliers walked away with 20 and the Bucks had 22 fouls. They also buried 20 of their 45 shots from distance. Milwaukee finished the game at 70.6% when shooting free throws by making 12 of their 17 tries. Additionally, Milwaukee collected 39 rebounds (7 offensive, 32 defensive) and added 4 rejections. Milwaukee totaled 24 dimes and had 3 steals for this game. With regard to defense, Cleveland allowed the other team to go 47.7% from the floor on 42 out of 88 shooting. They also dished out 27 assists for the game while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and getting 3 steals. Concerning pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 46 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Cavaliers knocked down 27 of their 34 attempts for a rate of 79.4%. Cleveland finished the contest with a 48.8% FG percentage (42 out of 86) and made 12 of their 36 3-point shots.

James Harden is one guy who had an impact in this contest. He racked up 27 points on 7 out of 10 shooting. He was on the court for 34 minutes played and also pulled down 5 rebounds. Harden finished 70.0% from the floor and also totaled 6 dimes.

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Cleveland will enter this matchup with a win-loss record of 42-27 this season. They are averaging 119.1 pts per contest (3rd in the league) on 47.8% from the field. The Cavaliers are connecting on 36.1% on 3-pointers (1,004 of 2,784) and 77.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Cleveland is pulling in 44.2 rebounds per contest and has tallied 1,954 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 8th in the NBA in terms of passing. They are turning it over 14.1 times per game and as a squad they are committing 19.8 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Cavaliers have forced 15.5 turnovers per game while drawing 20.4 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 15th in basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 1,846 surrendered so far this year. The Cavaliers are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.3% (2,843 of 6,137) and they surrender 43.7 rebounds per contest as a team. They are giving up 37.0% from beyond the arc and they are 13th in the league in opponents PPG (114.9).

When they last played, the Pelicans got the victory with a final of 124-109 when they faced the Clippers. The Pelicans recorded 27 defensive boards and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 for this contest. They turned it over 19 times, while getting 12 steals for the matchup. The Clippers had 17 fouls for the contest which took the Pelicans to the free throw line for a total of 21 shots. They were able to convert 20 of the free throws for a rate of 95.2%. In reference to 3-pointers, New Orleans knocked down 16 of 37 tries (43.2%). Overall, the Pelicans ended up shooting 44 out of 83 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 53.0%. The Pelicans permitted the Clippers to bury 45 out of their 88 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.1% in this game. They went 29.0% from 3-point land by connecting on 9 of 31 and finished the game at 10 out of 13 from the charity stripe (76.9%). In the matter of team rebounding, New Orleans permitted Los Angeles to get 36 overall (14 on the offensive side).

Saddiq Bey ended up being important for the Pelicans for the matchup. Bey earned 25 points in his 35 minutes on the court and totaled 4 assists in this matchup. He knocked down 10 of 21 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 47.6%, and tallied 5 rebounds.

New Orleans has a mark of 24-46 so far this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Pelicans are shooting 46.6% from the floor, which ranks 16th in the league. New Orleans has earned 8,103 pts so far this season (115.8 per game) and they pull down 44.2 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 25.2 times per contest (21st in the league) and they cough up possession 14.4 times per game. The Pelicans commit 19.9 fouls per contest and they go 78.6% from the free throw line.

The Pelicans on the defensive side of the court are 25th in the league in PPG surrendered with 119.6. They are forcing 14.6 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 47.4% from the field (22nd in the NBA). The New Orleans defense allows 34.8% on 3-point attempts (1,000 of 2,874) and their opponents are converting on 77.8% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 27.7 dimes and 45.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 25th and 24th in the league.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take New Orleans and under the total points

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