Pelicans vs. Warriors prediction and odds for Tuesday, March 28 (Pels undervalued?)

Don’t look now, but the New Orleans Pelicans could jump ahead of the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference standings on Tuesday night if they pull off a road upset.

New Orleans has won five straight games, propelling itself back into the top-half of the play-in tournament picture, and now it has a tough turnaround in Golden State on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Warriors, who lost a heartbreaker to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, are currently the No. 7 seed in the West and in danger of landing in the play-in tournament when the regular season ends.

With Andrew Wiggins (personal) still out for Golden State, the Pelicans have a real shot to pull off an upset, even without Zion Williamson.

Here’s a look at the latest odds for this game:

Pelicans vs. Warriors odds, spread and total

Pelicans vs. Warriors prediction and pick

As long as New Orleans doesn’t rest players on the second night of a back-to-back, I think they are undervalued in this spot.

New Orleans has been dominant as of late, while the Warriors remain a middling group, winning just three games by nine or more points since beating the Pelicans by nine earlier this month.

The concern for Golden State in the month of March has actually been its offense (20th in offensive rating), and the team is in the bottom half of the league in net rating this month as a result.

New Orleans needs this game as much as the Warriors, and I think 8.5 points is a little generous for this Golden State team considering how average it has been this season.

The Pelicans have struggled as road underdogs this season, but in this instance I’m betting the number and not the trend.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.