New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview/Prop Pick

Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans are hoping to take down the Lakers today. They're coming off of a huge win over the Phoenix Suns, so you can't rule them out.

The addition of CJ McCollum is proving to be a smart one, but this road game won't be easy. They'll be facing Russell Westbrook and LeBron James; the good news for the Pelicans is Anthony Davis is out tonight.

With Anthony Davis out, yet again, the Lakers are in an unfortunate position. It seems like any time they get the chance to have their "Big 3" on the court, they lose someone.

Previously, it was LeBron James; now it's Anthony Davis. These injuries are preventing the Lakers from catching fire in the Western Conference. They're coming off a loss to the Clippers on Friday.

New Orleans Pelicans: Can McCollum & Co. seal another upset?

The fact that the Pelicans were able to take down the Phoenix Suns is rather shocking. The Suns are the best team in the NBA in terms of overall record. They also have a strong group of scorers with Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

Still, CJ McCollum and the rest of the Pelicans banded together and won the game 117-102. They'll look to pull off a similar upset against LA.

In order to do so, they'll need to target LeBron James and get him off his game. If the Pelicans can force Russell Westbrook to shoot, it won't be a good night for the Lakers. The Lakers don't shoot well from beyond the arc, currently 34.75%.

The Pelicans will likely push them to the perimeter in order to create low-percentage shots. This is their best bet to beat the Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron's still trying to make it work

There are big problems in Los Angeles, and it started with the offseason additions. However, those are already done, and there's no going back now.

Instead, the Lakers will need to do what they can to move past their shortcomings. They need to win this game; in their last five games, the Lakers have gone 1-4. Another loss here could see them fall further back in the conference.

In order to beat the Pelicans, they need to focus their attention on CJ McCollum. Currently, he's the biggest threat on the Pelicans, along with Brandon Ingram.

The Pelicans are also a team that's awful from beyond the arc, shooting 32.75%. If the Lakers can force them outside, they'll be in good shape. Russell Westbrook is a good defender; he should be able to stop McCollum.

Our pick for the New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers

The Pelicans pulled off a  huge win over the Suns, but we don't think they pull off an upset here. The Lakers have gone 8-2 against the Pelicans in their last ten meetings, 5-4-1 ATS. At home, the Lakers are 18-14, while the Pelicans are 11-19 on the road.

CJ McCollum is facing Russell Westbrook, an incredibly good defender. We think this game goes to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles comes in as two-point favorites, not a very large spread. In fact, if the spread was over five points, we'd likely take the Pelicans.

However, with such a small spread, we'll take the Lakers and the under 225. Both of these offenses have struggled in recent weeks; the under is a safe pick. 

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -2, UNDER

Prop Pick

New Orleans (-115) UNDER 110.5 Points

New Orleans is averaging 106.5 points per game on offense, which ranks No. 25 in the league. That average drops to 104.0 on the road. Scores have gone UNDER in nine of the Pelicans’ last 13 games overall.

With Dunkel predicting an LA win by the score of 111-107, take the Pelicans (-115) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 110.5 points against the Lakers.
 

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