The New Orleans Pelicans will try to win their second game in a row at home tonight against the Toronto Raptors in the Smoothie King Center.
The Raptors are coming off impressive wins over Dallas and Cleveland and are up to the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Pels are coming off a nail biter against the Thunder that Herb Jones had to seal in the last three seconds with some heads-up play on both ends.
New Orleans will be shorthanded once again and will still be missing parts of a starting lineup that has only played together 10 times this season.
The Pels are 7-3 at home this season, so the line in this one was a bit surprising. Can the “underdog” Pelicans get a tough win at home against one of the NBA’s best defenses?
Here is the information you will need.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Toronto Raptors: Odds and Spread, Over/Under
I had to check this one twice to be sure, but Fanduel has New Orleans as one point underdogs tonight at home against the Raptors. The money lines are -102 for New Orleans and -116 for Toronto, which really makes no sense considering the Raptors are currently favored.
The books are saying this one is a toss up with a slight edge to Toronto on the road. The over/under is 222.5, much lower than last game against OKC. Both of these teams can defend and Toronto has been outstanding of late, though they will be on the second game of a back-to-back.
I like the under in this one, as these two teams are going to defend and grind it out.
Pelicans injury report
Brandon Ingram is still out for the Pels, which is tough in this matchup, as the Raptors have a number of good wings. Larry Nance Jr. and Naji Marshall are also questionable, so the Pels bench could once again be shorthanded.
CJ McCollum has cleared protocol but is still questionable depending on his conditioning. It would be nice to get him back to push Jose Alvarado to the bench to strengthen that unit.
The Raptors will be missing Precious Achiuwa and Otto Porter Jr.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Toronto Raptors: Prediction
This will be a tough matchup for the Pels, who are going to need someone other than Zion Williamson to step up offensively. Jonas Valanciunas has had some big games against Toronto in the past, so this might be a night to feature him a little more in the offense.
But it will likely come down to whether Zion can control the game, get their forwards in foul trouble and get to the line, which he wasn’t able to do against the Thunder.
This is a great test for the Pelicans to see if they can grind out a win against a well-coached defense with two starters potentially on the bench.
I’m going to be optimistic and say they do it behind a big game from Zion and a wild card off the bench.
New Orleans 110, Toronto 108
How to watch Pelicans vs Raptors
This game tips off at 7:00 PM CT and you can watch it on Bally Sports New Orleans or listen on WRNO 99.5 FM.
How to stream Pelicans vs. Raptors
League Pass is on sale at the moment if you live out of market, or you can get a free trial at FUBO.TV.
*Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.