The Pelicans will take on the San Antonio Spurs in what is expected to be the first game of the NBA play-in tournament for New Orleans.
If the Peles win, they will face the Los Angeles Clippers, who lost to the Timberwolves. But before they can worry about that, the Pelicans will have to take care of the business against a Spurs team that has already beaten them three times this season.
New Orleans wasn't at full force for either of those games, so you can throw them out the window because it all comes down to who wins tonight.
Both teams come into this game on short losing streaks, but are playing well overall, and are back in full force (minus Zion Williamson of course), so their 5th and final matchup of the season will be their best. could.
Stopping DeJonte Murray will be crucial for the Pelicans, as they have played big games against New Orleans in the past and is the engine that drives their offense. He has entered two triple-doubles against the Pelicans this season and had 31 points and 12 assists in the Spurs' win in February.
We can watch more minutes from Jose Alvarado to see if he can stay in front of Murray and slow him down.
Offensively, the Pelicans just have to do their bit, be patient and use their experience against the young Spurs. Brendon Ingram and CJ McCullum should be able to feast in the mid-range and they can also play through Jonas Valencianus in the post at times.
But what do the books think?
New Orleans Pelicans vs San Antonio Spurs: Odds, Spread, Over/Under and Best Bets
According to WynnBET, the Pelicans are 5.5 points favorites at home against the Spurs.
When you take into account the points allotted for the home court advantage, the books are saying the Pelicans are the smaller favorites to win it.
The money lines for New Orleans are set at -240 and for the Spurs at +190. Only one of their four games has been close, so I'll take the Pelicans to cover and get better odds (-108).
Over/under is 226 combined points, which I think is a bit high. They combined in three out of four matchups this season and may have had some early nerves that could lead to poor shooting.
I think Pele's experience and superior top-level talent should win tonight, as Smoothie King will be center husky and the Pelicans should be able to take away the Spurs late with some big runs.
I like to see New Orleans win 120-105 and face the Clippers for a chance in the playoffs.
Aside from the obvious choices (Brandon Ingram, CJ McCallum and Jonas Valencianus), I really love Jackson Hayes in this game.
Spurs don't have an easy answer for him, so if he can play with the energy without any trouble, I think he will clean up on the board and get some run outs.
If Jose Alvarado plays more minutes in an attempt to stop Murray, he could put up some stats, but that would be a high-risk game in the daily fantasy.
Any of the Pelicans' bench players are risky, because we don't know what Willie Greene's playoff rotation is going to look like, so stick with Hayes for a lower-cost option.