Philadelphia 76ers vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 2/21/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Philadelphia 76ers vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Gulf Coast Sports

Smoothie King Center is where the New Orleans Pelicans (15-41) will attempt to beat the Philadelphia 76ers (30-24) on Saturday.

The 76ers stepped onto the hardwood against the Knicks and went home with a loss by a final score of 138-89 in their last game. Philadelphia finished the game with a 37.5% field goal percentage (33 of 88) and knocked down 6 out of their 32 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the free throw line, the 76ers made 17 of 21 attempts for a rate of 81.0%. In regard to rebounding, they collected 38 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 16 dimes in this matchup in addition to forcing 15 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In the matter of defending, Philadelphia allowed 52.7% from the floor on 48 of 91 shooting. New York doled out 41 dimes and had 13 steals for the contest. Additionally, New York pulled down 51 rebounds (12 offensive, 39 defensive) and added 6 rejections. New York finished shooting 81.5% from the charity stripe by burying 22 of 27 attempts. They also converted 20 out of their 44 tries from 3-point land. When it comes to personal fouls, the 76ers ended up finishing with 18 and the Knicks totaled 16 personal fouls.

Tyrese Maxey is a player who was a major factor for this game. Maxey walked away from this one shooting 42.9% from the field and also recorded 2 dimes. He saw the court for 32 minutes played and also snagged 2 rebounds. He was able to score 32 points on 9 out of 21 shooting.

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Philadelphia heads into this matchup with a record of 30-24 so far this year. They average 116.2 points per contest (13th in the NBA) on 46.0% from the field. The 76ers are connecting on 35.6% on shots from downtown (686 of 1,928) and 81.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Philadelphia is collecting 43.3 boards per game and has totaled 1,336 dimes for the year, which has them ranked 26th in the league in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 13.9 times per game and as a group they commit 20.3 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the 76ers are forcing 15.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 20.4 fouls. They are ranked 22nd in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,499 relinquished this year. The 76ers defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 47.1% (2,275 of 4,831) and they concede 44.8 rebounds per game as a squad. They are conceding 35.5% on shots from distance while they are 16th in the NBA in PPG from their opponents (115.9).

The last time they took the court, the Pelicans went home defeated by a final of 123-111 against the Heat. In relation to how they attacked the glass, New Orleans permitted Miami to pull down 56 overall (18 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 29.8% from 3-point land via 14 out of 47 and ended up shooting 25 of 33 from the charity stripe (75.8%). The Pelicans allowed the Heat to make 42 of 102 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.2% in this matchup. When all was said and done, the Pelicans went 42 out of 92 from the field which had them shooting 45.7%. In the matter of shooting from downtown, New Orleans knocked down 11 out of their 31 attempts (35.5%). They were able to bury 16 of the free throw tries for a clip of 84.2%. The Heat were called for 15 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Pelicans to the charity stripe for a total of 19 tries. They turned the ball over 13 times, while earning 5 steals in the game. The Pelicans snagged 38 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 46 in this matchup.

Zion Williamson ended up being important for the Pelicans in this matchup. He buried 12 of 19 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 63.2%, and added 4 rebounds. Williamson totaled 25 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood and had 3 assists for this game.

New Orleans has a record of 15-41 for the year. The Pelicans are committing 19.9 personal fouls every game and they connect on 78.5% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 25.0 times per contest (23rd in the NBA) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.1 times per contest. New Orleans has scored 6,417 pts so far this year (114.6 per game) and they average 43.6 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Pelicans are shooting 46.2% from the field, which has them ranked 20th in the league.

The New Orleans defense surrenders 35.4% on 3-point shots (817 of 2,308) and their opposition knocks down 78.1% of their free throw shots. They surrender 28.2 dimes and 46.0 boards every game, which has them ranked 27th and 25th in basketball. The Pelicans defensively are ranked 26th in basketball in points allowed per game with 120.4. They are forcing their opponents into 14.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 47.8% from the floor (23rd in the NBA).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New Orleans

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