Los Angeles Lakers (25-28) at New Orleans Pelicans (26-27)
Game Info: Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. EST (Smoothie King Center)
Betting Odds: Lakers (-1) / Over/Under (TBD)
Pick: Lakers (-1)
The first game on the NBA slate on Saturday night will be played between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans in the Smoothie King Center; two teams that are next to each other in the Western Conference standings.
Los Angeles heads into this one on a 2-game win streak, in which they secured two down-the-wire wins on the road against the Knicks and Pacers. As Lebron James closes in on history, we will most likely have to wait another game or two for him to break the scoring record... but with the way the Pelicans are playing right now, maybe he can break it tonight. They have covered in 5 out of their last 8 games, and will be looking to improve on that record as they continue on their road trip. With the extra day of rest as they travelled to NO from Indiana, James and Davis should both be ready to go in this game (although they are on the day-to-day list), which will continue to be a big boost for the Lakers as this is when they are their best. With AD back, the Lakers will certainly continue to dominate on the offensive glass, where they rank 6th in offensive rebounding in the NBA. If they can extend their win streak to 3 games, they will tie the Pelicans for the 11th seed in the West.
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New Orleans is in a slump like no other. They are currently on a 10 game losing streak, in which they are 2-8 ATS in that stretch. They can't seem to have anything go their way on either side of the ball, which has snowballed into them falling below .500. With Zion Williamson out, the burden falls on Brandon Ingram and CJ Mccollum to carry the load on offense, and they just haven't been able to get into a rhythm recently in order to string together a win or two. This is just another brutal reminder that no matter how talented your team is, there are no easy wins in the NBA and nothing will be handed to you. As they come home off of a 3-game road trip, they will surely be up for the task against the Lakers as they attempt to stifle their current skid.
A few betting trends to consider in this matchup:
- Los Angeles is 8-1 SU this year on the road against teams with a losing record
- New Orleans is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games played
- The Pelicans are 17-25 ATS in non-Division games
- The Lakers are 24-18-1 ATS in non-Division games
I love how together the Lakers are playing of late, and against a team that can't get out of their way currently, I expect that to continue in this game. This line is where it is at right now because AD and James are day-to-day, but I fully expect them to suit up for this one. This is why I am going to take this number now before it jumps at all closer to tipoff. Give me the Lakers to gain another close win away from home this Saturday night.
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