The New Orleans Pelicans are still in third place in the Western Conference at 24-16, but injuries are starting to take their toll. They’ve lost two straight games with Zion Williamson out and they still don’t have Brandon Ingram back from his toe injury. Ingram is close, but is out for tonight and that makes New Orleans a slight underdog in Washington.
The Wizards have also lost two straight including last Friday, 127-110 to Oklahoma City. They’re now 17-23 on the season, good for 11th in the east.
Here are the odds for tonight’s matchup in DC:
Pelicans vs. Wizards Odds, Spread and Total
Pelicans vs. Wizards Prediction and Pick
Not only are Ingram and Zion out for New Orleans, but Bradley Beal will also be on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. Not a lot of star power in Washington for this one, but it should still be a good game. It’s exciting to see all the young talent in New Orleans step up for this stretch of games. Naji Marshall had 24 points last game in a team high 38 minutes.
The Pelicans only shot 5/29 from three against Dallas on Saturday, so I expect that shooting to improve against Washington’s defense that does not defend the three-point line well. Opponents are shooting 36.4% against the Wizards, which ranks Washington 24th in three-point defense.
CJ McCollum didn’t play against Dallas, but will be back on the floor tonight. He’ll be able to run the offense and facilitate for others. That will improve the quality of their shots and in turn improve their efficiency. I don’t think that the Wizards will be able to match McCollum’s offense with Beal out tonight and the Pelicans will stop their two-game skid.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change