The New Orleans Pelicans travel to Hollywood to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at the Staples Center.
The Pelicans have dropped two games in a row, losing to the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks, to drop to 15-17 on the season. The Pelicans hope to avoid falling three games below the .500 mark for the first time this season.
Anthony Davis is having an MVP type season for the Pelicans as the Brow is averaging 28.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game this season. Jrue Holiday leads New Orleans with 8.8 points and 1.8 steals per game while also scoring 20.7 points per game. Nikola Mirotic is contributing 17.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game
The Pelicans are the 2nd highest scoring team in the league at 116.7 points per game. New Orleans is also ranked 2nd in passing at 27.2 assists per game. They are also the 7th best rebounding team in the NBA at 47.2 boards per contest. Defensively, New Orleans is allowing 115.3 points per game which is fifth worst among NBA teams.
The Los Angeles Lakers have lost three out of their last five games and enter this game on a two-game losing streak. The Lakers lost to the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets earlier this week to drop to 18-13 on the season. King James and his new court will try to prevent losing a third straight game for the first time since the opening of the season when they started 0-3.
LeBron James is making an immediate impact with his new team. King James is averaging 28.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game in a brilliant all-around season to lead his young teammates. Sophomore Kyle Kuzma is scoring 18.2 points while grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game. Javale McGee has been solid manning the middle with 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.
The Lakers rank 9th in scoring at 113.3 points per game this season. The Purple and Gold is at #16 in the passing department with 24.1 assists per game. Los Angeles’ 46.2 rebounds per game is the 9th best rebounding average in the league. They also give up an average of 111.7 points per game which is ranked 22nd in the entire NBA.
The Pelicans and Lakers have played a total of 53 times during the NBA regular season. Los Angeles leads the all-time series 32-21 but the Pelicans have won five out of their last six meetings including the last three to sweep the Lakers in their 2017-18 seasons series 3-0. New Orleans has also taken five out of the last seven games played at Staples Center.
The Pelicans are 2-3 SU in their last five games played. New Orleans is 4-12 SU in 16 road games played this season. The Lakers are also 2-3 SU in their previous five games. Los Angeles has a solid record of 11-4 SU at their home floor this season. Head to head, the Pelicans have taken six out of their last 10 meetings.
Injuries to key players have mattered recently for the Lakers who have dropped three out of their last four games by an average losing margin of 12.67 points. That’s because Los Angeles has been playing without Brandon Ingram (15.2 points per game) for the last seven games and Rajon Rondo (8.5 points and 6.5 assists per game) for the last 17 games. Add in Javale McGee who is having flu-like symptoms and is questionable for this game.
For the Pelicans, former Lakers’ forward Julius Randle is a game time call after limping off their last game against the Bucks with an ankle injury. Randle is currently the third leading scorer for the Pelicans at 19.3 points per game and second leading rebounder at 9.5 boards per game. If Randle is a no-go, then someone has to fill in big shoes in New Orleans. If he plays, he may not be 100%.
Even without Ingram and Rondo, the Lakers have more firepower on hand. Los Angeles will have problems defending Anthony Davis as usual but the home team has should have enough offensively to win this game. We’re picking the Los Angeles Lakers to beat the New Orleans Pelicans on 12/21/18.
New Orleans is 15-17 ATs in 32 games played this season. The Pelicans are 7-9 ATS in 16 road games played so far. Los Angeles is 13-18 ATS in 31 games played so far this season. The Lakers are 7-8 ATS in 15 home games played. Head to head, the Pelicans are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall but they have played better at home and are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five home games played. The Lakers are shooting 47.9% at home and are outscoring their opponents by 3.7 points at Staples Center. I’m don’t like to give Los Angeles’ opponents more than a free three pointer at Staples Center but between this +5 and the 4-2 SU record of the Pelicans, I’ll give the points and take the home team. Prediction: Lakers -5
The over is 17-15 in the Pelicans’ 32 games this season. On the other hand, the under is 18-12-1 in the Lakers’ 31 games played this season. The total has gone under in 10 out of the 15 home games played by the Lakers so far. Head to head, the over is 5-1 in the last six games played between these two teams.
The under is 17-7 in Lakers last 24 overall. The under is 5-1 in Pelicans last 6 overall. The Lakers are a high scoring team but surprisingly, the under has been trending for them. The trend at Staples is even more convincing: The under is 8-2 in the Lakers’ last 10 home games played. Prediction: Under 234
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