The New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers both have losing records yet are getting ready for one of the most anticipated games of the NBA season.
The Pelicans are now a full two games ahead of both the Lakers and Spurs, as all three teams battle for the final two play-in spots.
The Pels currently hold the 9th seed, which not only means they would host the play-in game against the Spurs or Lakers, but would also have a high probability of keeping the 2022 NBA Draft pick they are owed from the Lakers.
The Pelicans are a Zion Williamson away from being full strength and have been playing some of their best basketball of the season, stunning the Lakers in their last matchup after coming back from a 23-point deficit.
The Lakers have lost four in a row and are on the verge of missing the playoffs even though LeBron James is leading the NBA in scoring at age 37, which is pretty impressive.
They’ll be getting Anthony Davis back tonight and hope to get some revenge on the Pelicans and claw a little closer to the play-in tournament. The Lakers will be on their second game of a back-to-back but LeBron didn’t play last night and neither did AD.
Few games between two losing teams have this much on the line, and if the Pels win and take a three game lead over LA with just five games left (and owning the tie-breaker), the Lakers’ season may be over.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Lakers: Odds, spread, over/under and best bets
According to WynnBET, the Pelicans are one point underdogs on the road tonight in LA.
The money lines are set at -105 for New Orleans and -115 for Los Angeles so the books are calling this a toss-up.
This is an absolute must-win game for the Lakers, while a loss wouldn’t hurt the Pelicans much, so I expect LeBron and AD to come out focused and compete with playoff intensity.
This will be a good test for the young Pelicans, most of whom haven’t been in the playoffs, and win or lose they need to show they can handle the pressure of a big game.
The over/under is 232 combined points, which seems high, even with AD back. The two teams combined for 224 in their last meeting, so I like the under in this one.
Brandon Ingram played well against the Lakers but is still coming back from a hamstring injury, so I would stick with CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas in daily fantasy.
If you are looking for a low-cost play, Trey Murphy III stepped up in the last game vs. LA and the Lakers had no answer for him. I like him to do it again tonight in LA.
How to watch Pelicans @ Lakers
The game in LA has a late tip-off time of 9:30 PM CT and you can watch on Bally Sports New Orleans or listen on ESPN 100.3 FM.