Pelicans odds vs. Raptors: Can New Orleans get back on track?
The New Orleans Pelicans hope to get their first win of the CJ McCollum era tonight at home vs. the Toronto Raptors.
McCollum’s big game vs. the Spurs was ruined when the Pels’ role players couldn’t contribute enough to get a win.
They are going to need more from guys like Devonte’ Graham and Jaxson Hayes even with the addition of McCollum, as the Pels’ depth is thin beyond their starting lineup.
The Raptors have been rolling, winners of 8-of-10, which has them in the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference.
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The Pelicans have dropped to 11th in Western Conference after losing two in a row but hope to get back on track during this homestead.
Can they get a win vs. a talented and versatile Raptors squad?
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Toronto Raptors: Odds, spread, over/under and best bets
According to WynnBET, the Pelicans are five point underdogs at home vs. the Raptors, which seems a bit high, even though New Orleans is trying to incorporate a new player into the depth chart after their big trade.
I like the Pels to cover this at home, as they have played better in each game with McCollum and you can see the pieces starting to gel.
The money lines are set at +155 for the Pelicans and -190 for the Raptors and the over/under is a combined 222.5 points.
The Pels have been letting up 111 points per game on average over their last three and tend to score more points at home, so I like the over in what should be an up and down game.
Take the points and the over and hope the Pels win a high-scoring game.
Brandon Ingram’s stats have gone down in the two games since McCollum joined the team and with OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam potentially defending him, I might stay away from him and just take McCollum, who looks to be the guy who is going to take the most shots.
The New Orleans bench is hard to bet, as they have been too inconsistent, but I do like Valanciunas in this one against the smaller Raptors. He might struggle defensively but he should also get a load of rebounds and put backs.
How to watch Pelicans vs. Raptors
The game vs. the Raptors tips off at 7:00 PM CT and you can watch on Bally Sports New Orleans or listen on ESPN 100.3 FM.
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