The New Orleans Pelicans have looked like one of the best teams in the NBA in their first two games this season, with impressive wins over Brooklyn and Charlotte.
Tonight they will take on the Utah Jazz, who have been one of the surprise teams so far, as they too are undefeated after two games, beating Denver and Minnesota in the process. The Jazz traded away their two best players, but still have a lot of talent, so early reports that they would be tanking for Victor Wembanyama may have been overblown, at least for now.
Zion Williamson has had a relatively quiet start to the season (for him) but has been picked up by Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas, who have both been amazing in the first two games.
The Pels’ depth has been a real weapon, and though coach Willie Green still has some things to figure out with his rotations, he has a lot of options to work with.
Can the Pels keep rolling tonight in the home opener in front of what will be a raucous crowd?
New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz: Odds and Spread, Over/Under
According to FanDuel, New Orleans are favored by eight points tonight at home, with money lines set at -335 for the Pels and +270 for the Jazz.
The over under is 230 combined points and I like the Pels to go over for the third straight game. The Jazz have a starting five that can put points on the board and have Collin Sexton coming off the bench, so this one should be a high scoring affair.
I would bet the Pelicans to cover and take the over until further notice.
Pelicans injury report
Kira Lewis Jr. is still out for the Pelicans and Jaxson Hayes is likely out again tonight with his elbow injury. Hayes’ absence has given players like Naji Marshall more run, so it will be interesting to see how the rotation looks once it Hayes returns.
The Jazz will be missing center Udoka Azubuike, but otherwise are at full strength.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz: Prediction
Even though the Jazz have had a surprisingly good start, this is another game that the Pels should absolutely win, as they have advantages all over the court.
The Jazz have no answer for New Orleans on the inside, so expect Valanciunas to have another monster game with Kelly Olynyk trying to stop him and for Zion to feast against Jarred Vanderbilt. I think we’ll see some of the easy shots Zion has been missing start to fall tonight and for him to have his first 30 point game of the season.
I also love Brandon Ingram against Lauri Markkanen, so expect the Pels’ front court to dominate tonight and for New Orleans to get a big win in front of the home crowd.
New Orleans 128, Utah 108
How to watch Pelicans vs Jazz
This will be another early tip off at 6:00 PM CT and you can watch on Bally Sports New Orleans or listen on WRNO 99.5 FM.
How to stream Pelicans vs. Jazz
You can stream all of the games on FUBO.TV or you can watch on NBA League pass if you live outside of the New Orleans market and the game isn’t blacked out.
*Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.