Free NBA Pick: Lakers vs. Pelicans NBA Odds
Looking for Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Lakers taking on the Pelicans on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at Smoothie King Center. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Lakers Pelicans matchup.
2024 NBA Handicapping Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans
(48-35) Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans (49-33)
Date: Tuesday, April 16
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Venue: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LO
Moneyline NBA Odds: Lakers -105| Pelicans -104 (Bet Now!)
NBA ATS Betting Odds: Pelicans -1
Today’s NBA Betting Total (O/U): 223.5
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The opening game of the play-in tournament features the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers visiting the seventh-seeded New Orleans Pelicans.
Although the goal is to win this game there may be mixed emotions regarding that outcome as the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets (and for the most part the team projected to win the West) await them.
Losing isn’t an automatic out either as that team will face the winners of the night cap between the Warriors and Kings who’ll play for the right to face the top-seeded OKC Thunder in the first round.
Season Series
This season the Lakers pretty much owned the Pelicans taking three of their four meetings including a 133-89 drubbing in the In-Season tournament as well as the final game of the season which will still be in the heads of the Pels as they take to the court Tuesday.
Last season, the teams played four times with the Lakers taking three of the four contests. LA also holds the all-time record having bested the Pelicans in 47 of their 75 matches.
Los Angeles Lakers
It’s a catch-22 for the Lakers who battled to move out of the ninth seed but find themselves in a dilemma as they enter this match since winning would secure them a date against the Nuggets who’ve owned them recently.
Still, no team is going to risk losing a confirmed playoff seed to chance winning an elimination game.
That said, Anthony Davis left the final game dealing with back spasms but Darvin Ham projects he’ll be ready to go on Tuesday which is key if the Lakers want to garner the victory.
Lakers Stats
LA ranks 15th offensively (115.3), and 18th defensively (114.9), with an even net differential of +0.4 ranking 19th overall.
The Lakers performed below the middle ground against the spread with a 39-44 record through the season.
Lakers Injury Report
To summarize the injury report…
- LeBron James, SF (probable —ankle)
- Anthony Davis, PF (questionable — back)
- Christian Wood, PF (OUT indefinitely— knee)
- Jarred Vanderbilt, SF (OUT indefinitely —foot)
- Jalen Hood-Schifino, SG (OUT for season —back)
New Orleans Pelicans
Zion Williamson has finally shown up healthy for the majority of the season, raised his level of play, and delivered to propel his Pelicans into the conversation for dark horse title options.
The problem is he struggles mightily against the Lakers. Zion averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game shooting 57 percent from the field.
He matched those figures in two games against the Lakers BUT in the two games that truly mattered he scored a combined 25 points and looked shell-shocked.
Pelicans Stats
The Pelicans rank 11th offensively (116.6), and sixth defensively (111.8) while posting a plus +4.8 net differential that also ranks sixth overall.
New Orleans rode just above the middle with a 43-37-2 record against the spread through 82 contests.
Pelicans Injury Report
To summarize the injury report…
- NO injuries reported
NBA Bettors we want to hear from you. Comment below. Give us your Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans NBA picks!
Lakers vs. Pelicans NBA Betting Trends:
- All in all, the Lakers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of LA Lakers’ last 7 games.
- Also, the Lakers are 11-3 SU in their last 14 games.
- By comparison, the Pelicans are 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games
- New Orleans are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games.
- Additionally, the Pelicans are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games at home
Free Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans NBA Prediction:
After the All-Star break the Lakers jostled their lineup finding chemistry on the offensive end posting the fourth-best offense. Unfortunately, they didn’t apply the same success to the defense as they slid to 23rd in that period.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans were one of the more consistent teams throughout the entire season but as noted the Lakers seem to be the Pelicans’ nemesis and in particular Zion Williamson who has had two of his worst performances this year in games that mattered against LA.
It feels like a consolation prize given the Nuggets await the winner and possess a 5-1 record against these clubs with the lone loss occurring without Jamal Murray in the lineup.
Still, securing a playoff seed is what this game is about as the Pels need to show they aren’t afraid of the Lakers while LA needs to take care of business and not think about what awaits them after.
I’ve waffled back and forth on this selection because it’s hard to imagine Zion playing much worse but betting against LeBron in big games isn’t something I typically do either. Still, my gut says AD and LeBron will subconsciously believe they’ll beat either the Warriors or Kings and avoid Denver so I’m taking the Pels to win and cover.
4* Free Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans NBA Betting Pick: Pelicans ATS
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NBA Tweet Of The Day
play-in prep 🏀#Pelicans | @SeatGeek pic.twitter.com/AvPy7CfJdn
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 15, 2024
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