New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Betting Odds, Injury Reports, DFS Tips

The New Orleans Pelicans look to keep the momentum going into the All-Star break as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Pelicans have won three in a row after a thrilling victory against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday that included a career-high 31 points from Zion Williamson in his return. The Pelicans put together one of their best second halves of the season with a 41-point third quarter that essentially sealed the game. Oklahoma City has won seven of their last 10, but have dropped two in a row to the Celtics and Spurs.

The Thunder (32-22) are currently alone in the 7th seed, while the Pelicans (23-31) are on the outside looking in, tied for the 10th seed with the Spurs, just a game behind the Trail Blazers for the 9th seed and five back from eight-seed Memphis. The Pelicans are trying to creep into the playoff picture and would love to win their fourth in a row and carry that momentum into the All-Star break.

Both teams have something to play for and the Smoothie King Center will be rocking as Zion and the Pelicans take on the Thunder.

Gameday information

Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports New Orleans
Radio: ESPN 100.3 FM
Streams: FUBO.TV and NBA League Pass 
Last time out: Pelicans (22–31) beat Portland 138-117 on Tuesday; Thunder lost 114-106 to San Antonio on Tuesday.

Betting Odds

Line: Pelicans -2.5  (Opened at Pelicans -1.5)

Over/under: 231

Moneylines: Pelicans -138; Thunder +120

ATS: Pelicans 27-23-3; Thunder 35-19

ATS splits: Pelicans 15-12 at home; Thunder 20-5 on the road

O/U splits: Pelicans 14-12-1 at home; Thunder 10-15 on the road

*All lines and betting information provided by The Action Network.

Injury reports

The official injury report has not been released but Brandon Ingram is still day-to-day and likely a game time decision. It wouldn’t be surprising if he continued to sit so that he’s ready for the All-Star game and playoff run.  Shooting guard Kenrich Williams remains out for the Pelicans.

The Thunder will be without small forward Darius Bazley who is still recovering from a bruise to his right knee.

DFS tips

There is value to be had with several Pelicans depending on how Alvin Gentry handles the rotation and minutes. Williamson is still a bargain at $7.8k, although it is possible his minutes will be monitored after he came up limping a few times against Portland. Zion is still buyer-beware at this point, but the ceiling for his performance is high enough to make this a good risk.

Josh Hart has been playing well and is still good value at $5.6k as he is averaging 30.6 FP over his last five games. Nicolo Melli is a smart value play at $4K. He had eight three-point attempts against Portland and figures to see a lot of time alongside Williamson, which should mean plenty of shot attempts. Melli is one to watch moving forward, as the combination of he and Williamson has thus far been better than Zion and Derrick Favors.

Chris Paul represents good value at $7.1k but may struggle a bit against the defensive tandem of Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball. Danilo Gallinari has been hot over his last five, averaging 31.9 FP and is only $5.5k. A good value risk would be Nerlens Noel at 3.2k. The Pelicans were unable to keep Hassan Whiteside off the boards or out of the lane in the last game, so Noel may have a big night cleaning up the glass.

Good luck with all of your bets and fantasy sports.