Pelicans odds vs. Cavaliers: New Orleans hanging in but needs a win

Earlier in the season, I wrote that the New Orleans Pelicans could make the play-in tournament this season even if Zion Williamson does not play a single game.

One of the biggest reasons for this is that the teams around the Pelicans aren’t very good and none of them seem poised to go on a run and separate themselves from the group.

You can see it in the standings, as the teams below the Pelicans (the Kings, Thunder and Rockets) have lost six, seven and three in a row, respectively.

The teams just in front of the Pelicans (the Spurs and Trail Blazers) both lost their last games as well, so even though New Orleans has dropped three in a row, they are still just 2.5 games back of the 10th spot and are about to finish a ridiculous part of their schedule that had them playing three back-to-backs in nine days.

The Pelicans will face the Cavaliers on the road tonight before heading to Detroit to end this stretch and start a February schedule that gets a little easier.

The Pels are getting plenty of help from the bad teams around them, but desperately need a win for their own confidence and to get back on track for the final push.

They will potentially be missing Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas and Josh Hart tonight, and if these three don’t play, it will be an uphill battle that the odds reflect. The Pelicans did beat the Cavaliers in their last meeting behind a huge night from Herb Jones, but will likely be even more shorthanded than they were for the last one.

The Cavaliers are the NBA’s surprise team this season (a title the Pelicans were hoping to have) but are coming off a loss to the Detroit Pistons last night and will be on short rest against the Pels.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Odds, spread, over/under and best bets

According to WynnBET, the Pels are eight point underdogs on the road against the Cavaliers, which actually seems pretty low considering all of the injuries and the fact the Pelicans are pretty bad on the road.

The money lines are set at +270 for New Orleans and -340 for Cleveland, so the books aren’t giving the Pels much of a chance to win this one.

The over/under is 211 combined points, so the books are finally catching on that New Orleans has a hard time scoring with their four best players on the bench with injuries. That’s too bad, as the over/under has offered some value in the last few games.

The Cavaliers are very good defensively but are playing the second game of a back-to-back, so this one could be a low-scoring affair depending on who plays.

If Ingram, Valanciunas and Hart are all out, expect the Pelicans to fail to break 100 points, as they did last game against the Celtics with Hart in the lineup.

They just aren’t deep enough to overcome all those injuries, so unfortunately I can’t recommend betting the Pelicans, but if you do, take the points and the under unless BI, JV or Hart actually play.

The two low-cost contributors in daily fantasy have been Willy Hernangomez (who has been amazing in extended minutes) and Jose Alvarado, who is coming off a career-high 19 points against the Celtics.

They are your best daily fantasy plays, but Herb Jones has been steady lately and put up 26 in the last meeting vs. Cleveland so he’s worth a flyer.

Check the injury report before game time to get the most updated information.

How to watch Pelicans vs. Cavaliers

The Pels have been good enough to hang in with teams while shorthanded but not good enough to win, so let’s hope they get some guys back for the 6:00 PM CT tip-off vs. Cleveland, which you can watch on Bally Sports New Orleans or listen to on ESPN 100.3 FM.