The New Orleans Pelicans are trying to work their way into the top ten of the Western Conference. After a huge upset against the Suns, they’re realizing they might be able to pull it off.
Today, they’ll take on another Western Conference team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Led by CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans will push for another upset in tonight’s game.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had some recent troubles. They’ve gone 1-4 over the course of their last five games and are without Anthony Davis.
The good news is that they’ll have LeBron James and Russell Westbrook out on the court. It’s unfortunate they’ll be missing Davis, but they still come in as the favorites here. So, let’s build a same game parlay for this matchup.
Game Preview: New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers
The Pelicans were able to beat the Phoenix Suns 117-102, mostly due to CJ McCollum. The Pelicans’ recent acquisition was able to put up 32 points against Phoenix. The real question is whether or not he can do the same tonight against the Lakers.
He’ll be matched up against Russell Westbrook, a very physical defender. We think this is where the Pelicans will struggle.
The Lakers likely know that they should force the Pelicans to shoot from beyond the arc. New Orleans is awful shooting from the three-point line, currently 32.75%.
With such bad shooting, the Lakers can take advantage of this and push them to the perimeter. They’ll also need a big game from LeBron James, who leads LA with 28.9 points per game. Let’s make some picks.
Against the Spread: Los Angeles Lakers -2
The Los Angles Lakers might be struggling, but this game is set up perfectly for them. CJ McCollum is a great player, but the physicality of Russell Westbrook will be a problem for him.
The Lakers can also force the Pelicans outside for low-percentage shots. The Pelicans are 14-16 against the spread on the road, so take the Los Angeles Lakers -2 here.
The Total: UNDER 222.5
Now, both of these teams have the ability to go over the total and have before. However, with the way the pelicans have played recently, we’ll go with the under. Over their last thirteen games, the total has gone under nine times.
Overall, the Pelicans have gone 25-35 against the total this season. With that being said, this is going to be a defensive game; take the under 222.5. We have all of these markets in our NBA computer picks.
Player Points: CJ McCollum UNDER 24.5 Points
CJ McCollum is coming off of a 32-point night against the Phoenix Suns. He’s a strong player, but we don’t think he’ll be able to put up that many points this time.
As we said, he’s going to be guarded by Russell Westbrook. Westbrook might not be an elite scorer, but he’s great on defense. The Pelicans will have to run their offense through someone else tonight.
To score 15+ Points: Brandon Ingram
Adding this pick to your ticket will help increase your winnings. As we mentioned, the Pelicans offense will have to run through someone else tonight.
We believe that person is Brandon Ingram. He’ll have over 15 points to end the night, even though his team won’t come away with the win.