The New Orleans Pelicans face the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time on the year with the season series sitting at an even 1-1. This will be the second matchup between the two teams since they were embroiled in the extremely public trade negotiations for Anthony Davis. Davis wasn’t available for that first matchup but should be available on his usual minute restriction for this tilt.
The Lakers are fighting for their playoff lives right now and after dropping embarrassing losses to these same Davis-less Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies, find themselves in as close to a must-win situation that they’ve faced all year. The Lakers have one of the tougher remaining schedules in the NBA and end the year with a brutal five-game stretch of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers.
Despite the drama surrounding the Anthony Davis trade fiasco and his subsequent injury, the Pelicans have been playing some occasionally decent basketball. While inconsistent, the team has talented pieces in Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle and were able to knock off the Thunder with Davis only playing 16 minutes. That said, with Davis on limited minutes there isn’t much depth behind those two. Should one (or both) go quiet, the Pelicans simply don’t have the talent to consistently score.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Line & Over/Under
- New Orleans Pelicans (27-35) vs Los Angeles Lakers (29-31)
- Wednesday, February 27th at 10:30 pm ET
- Point Spread: Lakers (-5.5)
- Point Total: 239.5
New Orleans Pelicans vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction
Given that the Lakers have lost consecutive games and are facing the reality that they may not make the playoffs if things don’t change soon, I expect LeBron James and company to be angry and focused in this affair. Although the absence of Lonzo Ball and his defense have been sorely missed, Rajon Rondo should be able to help keep his former backcourt running mate relatively in check.
LeBron James, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma have provided consistent and efficient performances on the offensive end since the break but the bench unit has been close to non-existent. The loss of Ivica Zubac is being felt now more than ever. After a slow start to the year, Zubac grew into a solid rebounder with a knack for finding himself on the receiving end of easy buckets from the team’s long list of playmakers.
The Pelicans simply don’t boast the bench depth necessary to take advantage of the most glaring weakness (the bench) for the Lakers. The Pelicans have been gutted by trades and come into the matchup limping. They will need MASSIVE performances from the combination of Holiday and Randle in order to give them a shot to even beat the struggling Lakers.
Julius Randle should show up as he has consistently been a problem for the Lakers in the two previous matchups. Randle was a beloved member of the Lakers’ young core and undoubtedly has a bit of anger towards the fact that the Lakers decided to move on from him. He averages 22.5 points per game in the two matchups against the Lakers and poses a problem offensively for anyone not named LeBron in the Laker frontcourt.
Expect the Lakers to come out with a statement win in this affair. The Pelicans should not be able to exploit the Lakers biggest weakness and their biggest weapon is going to be on some heavily restricted minutes. Although the Lakers have been struggling as of late, they know that this is a must-win game to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot and something tells me that LeBron won’t allow this team to drop another game to a sub .500 team.
Pick: Lakers (-5.5)
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Pelicans vs Lakers Betting: Latest Line, Odds & Prediction