San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans Betting Preview

The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans face off on the second day of play-in games. The Spurs finished the season with a 34-48 record but still secured a spot in the tournament.

Today, they face a tough competitor in the New Orleans Pelicans. If they want to leave with a win tonight, they'll need a big game from Dejounte Murray. Which is easier said than done.

The New Orleans Pelicans finished the year with a 36-46 record during the regular season. Now, they'll start their playoff journey, and it begins with taking down the San Antonio Spurs.

However, they'll have to play this game without Brandon Ingram, who's been ruled out tonight. Without Ingram, can the Pelicans pull off a win at home tonight over the San Antonio Spurs?

San Antonio Spurs: Murray is the key to a Spurs win

On the one hand, it's good that we know how vital Dejounte Murray is to the Spurs. On the other, it means the Pelicans know this as well and will try to stop him. Murray leads the team in points per game at 21.1 and assists per game at 9.2.

He's nearly averaging a double-double each game and is vital to the success of San Antonio. The Spurs also have the eighth-best offense.

With a strong offense and a young and enthusiastic team, you'd think they're a sho-in to win. However, in mid-March, they faced the Pelicans and lost 124-91. The biggest problem with the Spurs is consistency, which is why they only won 34 games.

Since this is the most important game so far this season, can the Spurs play up to their potential? Or will they fall short?

New Orleans Pelicans: The Pelicans need others to step up

With Brandon Ingram out, the Pelicans will look to other players to fill the scoring role. One of these players is likely to be CJ McCollum; the other will have to show themselves. Leading the team in scoring at the moment is Jonas Valanciunas, at 17.8 points per game.

In their last two games of the regular season, the Pelicans lost twice. One of these games was at home.

When playing at home this year, the Pelicans are 19-22, which doesn't build confidence. However, they don't have a lot of points to cover in this game which definitely helps. They come in as 5.5-point favorites and are 18-6 as favorites.

Sure, Ingram might be out, but this will give McCollum a chance to shine. We think the Pelicans should be able to secure a victory at home.

San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans

The Spurs have done fairly well against the spread this season but aren't great on the road. This year, the Spurs have an 18-23 record when playing in an opposing team's arena. This is one of the reasons we'll take the Pelicans over the Spurs tonight.

We'll also take the under in this game since each team has hit the under more often than the over. This year, the Spurs have a record of 38-40-4 against the total. The Pelicans have a record of 34-48 against the total. 

DunkelIndex Free Pick: New Orleans Pelicans -5.5, UNDER

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