Pelicans are underdogs vs. Raptors with Josh Hart not making trip
The New Orleans Pelicans can’t seem to catch a break, as Josh Hart will not be available for tonight’s game vs. Toronto.
The Pels are coming off a win over the Warriors, who were missing Stephen Curry, which evened things out since New Orleans was also without their best player Zion Williamson, who is rehabbing his foot away from the team.
Hart’s absence is curious because he was not put in COVID protocol after reportedly tested negative, but has a “contact tracing issue,” according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com.
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This is a huge loss for the Pelicans, who have no bench and can’t afford to lose one of their most productive players.
The Pelicans are still trying to claw their way into play-in contention but will be heavy underdogs tonight without their glue guy.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Toronto Raptors: Odds, spread, over/under
According to WynnBET, the Pelicans are eight point underdogs on the road vs. Toronto. The Pels have been bad on the road this season, especially against the Eastern Conference, and without both Hart and Zion, this line makes sense.
The money lines are set at +270 for the Pelicans and -340 for the Raptors, so the books are making the Pels a longshot to win this game.
The over under is 223, which seems high to me considering these two teams score a combined 213 per game on average and allow a combined 216, so the under looks pretty good in this one.
Without Josh Hart, the Pelicans will have a hard time tonight, as it will force one of their bench players into the starting five and deplete their already-thin bench depth even more.
The Raptors have won five in a row and are playing well behind Fred VanVleet and their trio of versatile forwards.
It’s hard to recommend betting the Pels in this one, but Willie Green has had them fighting in every game, so if you want to bet New Orleans, take the points and the under.
How to watch Pelicans vs. Raptors
The game has a weird tip-off time of 5:00 PM CT in Toronto and you can watch on Bally Sports New Orleans or listen on ESPN 100.3 FM.
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