New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers odds, picks and predictions

new orleans pelicans at los angeles lakers odds, picks and predictions

Dec 31, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans (30-21) take on the Los Angeles Lakers(27-26) Friday with tip-off from Crypto.com Arena set for 10:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Pelicans vs. Lakers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

Season series: Tied 1-1

The Pels have won 4 in a row after dismantling the LA Clippers 117-106 Wednesday. They’ll try for the LA sweep as they tend to the Lakers Friday night. F Zion Williamson showed up with 21 points and 10 dimes Wednesday. He only had 3 boards, though, for the 2nd straight game. That’s going to put pressure on C Jonas Valanciunas to clear the glass opposite of F Anthony Davis, and the 31-year-old Lithuanian is questionable with a calf ailment.

Speaking of AD, he came to play Thursday night and cashed an Over 1.5 blocks for us in the 1st quarter. The Lakers couldn’t handle the Denver Nuggets, though, as they fell 114-106. The Under prevailed, and we cashed 2 of the 3 bets in the matchup. Davis had 32 points, 9 boards and 4 blocks. That loss snapped a 3-game winning streak for the Lake Show.

Pelicans at Lakers odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:09 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Pelicans -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Lakers +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
  • Against the spread (ATS): Pelicans -2.5 (-110) | Lakers +2.5 (-110)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 233.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)

Pelicans at Lakers key injuries

Pelicans

  • F Naji Marshall (back) questionable
  • C Jonas Valanciunas (calf) questionable
  • F Zion Williamson (foot) questionable

Lakers

  • Not yet submitted

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Pelicans at Lakers and predictions

Prediction

Pelicans 109, Lakers 100

Moneyline

So I took the Lakers Thursday for the +140 value, and they didn’t deliver. AD had 32, and F LeBron James had 25, but they just don’t have enough after that.

The Lakers have won 3 of 4 meetings, and Davis loves to torture his former team. However, the Pels won the last matchup and are a more formidable, deeper squad.

That said, I’m laying the points and not paying -145 for NOLA on the road. At press time, there were no props available for Lakers players, which means AD and LBJ could be questionable on the back end of the back-to-back.

PASS.

Against the spread

As mentioned, we’re taking the Pels -2.5 here. They won 129-109 as 5.5-point favorites with AD and LBJ in the lineup in December. They’ve covered in 4 of 5.

Take the PELICANS -2.5 (-110).

Over/Under

I’m feeling the Under here. An Under 229.5 cashed in this building in December, and with D-Lo sitting out Thursday and question marks for the Lakers playing on the back-to-back, UNDER 233.5 (-115) is the way to go.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Ryan Dodson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

Access more NBA coverage:

HoopsHype | Bulls Wire | Celtics Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Spurs Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | LeBron Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire

This article originally appeared on USA Today Sportsbookwire: New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers odds, picks and predictions

News Related

OTHER NEWS

Disrupt Burrup protesters searched and phones seized

Disrupt Burrup Hub group say police have issued move-on notices prohibiting access to the WA site. A group of climate activists and filmmakers say their phones have been seized during ... Read more »

The generation driving a ‘megatrend’ of poor mental health in Australia

As individuals, we have unique experiences that affect our mental health and wellbeing, but what about the collective experiences that influence each generation? The mental health of Australians has been ... Read more »

Geraldton meatworks set to reopen after five years in bid to meet chilled meat demand from Asia, Middle East

Syed Ghazaly wants to see the Geraldton abattoir reopen early next year to process 1,000 sheep a day. (ABC Mid West Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis) The new owners of a mothballed ... Read more »

Blues seek ‘growth’ as pre-season begins; new Hawk aims to be AFL’s serial pest

Carlton coach Michael Voss says he and his players understand there are heightened expectations on them, but insists the Blues are ready to develop individually and in their game plan. ... Read more »

Bulldogs continue signing frenzy with swap deal

The Bulldogs’ off-season signing frenzy is set to continue with the club reportedly set to land Cronnor Tracey in a swap deal. The Sydney Morning Herald reports Tracey is expected ... Read more »

Customers to weigh in as Optus disruption comes under microscope

Consumers and impacted businesses are being urged to have their say on the Optus outage, with the federal government laying out the terms of reference for its review into the ... Read more »

Released detainee unable to be contacted by authorities

It has been revealed a released immigration detainee is unable to be contacted by authorities. Border Force has referred the matter to the Federal Police as authorities are attempting to ... Read more »
Top List in the World