The Pelicans have already claimed a win against the San Antonio Spurs to start the play-in tournament. Today, they’ll face off against the Los Angeles Clippers in hopes of earning their second.
Great news for the Pelicans in this one as Brandon Ingram is back in the lineup for tonight. With Ingram and McCollum back together, we’re shocked the Pelicans are underdogs. We have comprehensive NBA computer picks here.
The Los Angeles Clippers started the play-in series with a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Clippers’ offense, aside from Paul George, struggled to get anything going. Tonight, they face the Pelicans, a team they easily beat in early April.
Will we see a similar outcome tonight? Or will the New Orleans Pelicans secure another win, this time on the road versus Los Angeles?
Game Preview: New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Clippers
Neither of these teams has a particularly impressive offense. On average, the Pelicans put up 109.34 points per game, ranking 21st in the NBA. The Clippers are behind them at the No.23 spot, averaging 108.36 points per game.
With both offenses having their shortcomings, we have to look at matchups. Perhaps the most important is Paul George versus Brandon Ingram.
George has made an immediate impact after rejoining the Clippers. He averages 24.3 points per game, along with 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He returned to the Clippers when they needed him most, but unfortunately, he can’t do everything.
Other players such as Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum need to step up. If they don’t, the Pelicans will win this game.
Against the Spread: Los Angeles Clippers -4
The last time Los Angeles faced New Orleans, L.A. won the game 119-100. The Clippers were two-point favorites in that game and were playing at home.
Tonight, they have a slightly larger spread to cover, but we think they’ll pull it off. When the Clippers lost to the Timberwolves, they lost to the offense that averages the most points in the NBA. The Pelicans aren’t nearly as good.
The Total: UNDER 216
The under in this game is set quite low, and for a good reason. It might be slightly lower than we would like, but we’ll still take the under in this game.
Over their last three games against each other, the total has gone under twice. In 10 of New Orleans’ last 14 games, the total has gone under as well. We’d definitely take the under when these two teams face off.
Win Margin: Los Angeles Clippers 1-10 (+170)
We nearly wanted to take the Clippers’ Win Margin by 11-20, but it seemed as if that’d be too much. We think this game will stay close, and the Clippers will cover the spread.
We think the outcome of this game will be 110-104 in favor of the Clippers. The Clippers are 27-13 as a favorite this year and are 25-16 at home this season.
Player Points: Paul George OVER 27.5 (-104)
Our final pick for this same game parlay is taking Paul George over the 27.5 on player points. George is a vital part of the Clippers’ offense and put up 34 points in the game against Minnesota. We expect him to have an even larger impact in tonight’s game.