Pelicans betting odds vs. Hornets: New Orleans may be cursed

There is one word to describe the New Orleans Pelicans’ season so far: Cursed.

My second choice was “ARRRRRRRRRGH!!”

That is how frustrating this season has been, as every time the Pelicans seem to be turning things around, they get some bad news.

Zion Williamson has been out for the whole season, and though there are some positive signs, we still haven’t gotten anything that could be considered good news.

The Pelicans fought on without him, traded for CJ McCollum and were playing their best basketball of the season before Brandon Ingram went down with a hamstring injury.

Now, after a 3-game losing streak, the Pels got the news that McCollum will be going on the dreaded health and safety protocol and will probably miss the rest of this home stand.

Are Pelicans fans allowed to be happy?

That’s the kind of season it has been, but their opponents aren’t going to feel sorry for them and New Orleans has to find a way to win a few games if they want to keep their play-in chances alive.

The Hornets will be missing Gordon Hayward and James Bouknight and the Pelicans hope to steal one tonight at home without their three best players.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Charlotte Hornets: Odds, spread, over/under and best bets

According to WynnBET, the Pelicans are two point underdogs at home vs. the Hornets.

The Pels have lost three in a row but were playing well before their injuries. The Hornets have lost two in a row and have only won three of their last 10 games, so the books see this one as close to even.

The money lines are set at +110 for the Pelicans and -130 for the Hornets and the over/under at a combined 229.5 points.

This is a tough one to call, as I feel like the Pelicans are going to rally around their injured leaders and put in the effort tonight, but without Ingram and McCollum I’m not sure they have enough talent for it to matter.

This one has “stay-away” written all over it, though I do like the under given that the Pelicans will struggle to score and have been playing good team defense lately that shouldn’t suffer too much with BI and CJ out.

Jonas Valanciunas is the obvious choice in daily fantasy and should be one of the top plays in the league. He is coming off a monster game, will be the focal point of the offense and is going up against two bigs he should be able to dominate.

Herb Jones should also be an expanded part of the offense with Ingram out and I love him to rack up some points cutting to the hoop against the porous Charlotte defense.

As for low-cost plays, it is a pretty much a crap shoot. Will this be the game that Devonte’ Graham finally breaks out? Will Jaxson Hayes have a big night with increased chances? The Pels’ role players have been inconsistent all season so any of them are a gamble.

How to watch Pelicans vs. Hornets

The game vs. Charlotte will tip off at 7:00 PM CT and you can watch on Bally Sports New Orleans or listen on ESPN 100.3 FM.