New Orleans Pelicans vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction: The battle of West and East elites

NBA has such a long season that a player can have a record-breaking performance and it can be forgotten soon. Such is the lore of a league that has 82 games apiece for 30 teams, what a long slate(phew!). Therefore, the prediction scenarios are tricky, you never know when a 30% win team flips the script on a 70% win team. And imagine the scenario when teams that have been in great form meet. This will happen when the New Orleans Pelicans take on the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Pelicans come into this game after defeating the Timberwolves in a 119:118 thriller as Zion Williamson deposited 43 points in another herculean effort. The Pels have won four in a row. The Pels have been doing all the winnings even without their star player Brandon Ingram. Williamson has been the leader of the current wins and they keep on improving with him as the enforcer. CJ McCollum has been the major playmaker whereas Jonas Valanciunas but the team will eventually need Brandon Ingram back as the squad sometimes miss his isolation plays against tough defenses.

The 76ers come into this game after losing 111:116 to the Wizards despite a 48 points performance by Joel Embiid. This loss stalled an eight-game winning streak, enjoying a long seven-game home stretch to the fullest. James Harden has been a major playmaker and has dished 10+ assists regularly. This is a great recovery after the team started with seven losses and five wins, and they are currently placed with 20 wins and 13 losses. The 76ers have been in a great defensive spirit and their offense has been one of the best in the league. Let us see how things circulate in the upcoming window.

The middle match-up between Embiid and Zion is the eye-catcher eye. Both are amazing inside players in the low-post and thus, both defenses will have to take a lot of bruising. Defensively, the 76ers are a tad better than Pelicans but it will be interesting to see how both teams respond to the inside barrage. I believe the Pels will exploit the home advantage here and a win. I predict a scoreline of 117:111 in favor of New Orleans.