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The battle for the 8-seed continues as the New Orleans Pelicans travel to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Pelicans-Clippers prediction and pick.
The Pelicans advanced to this game after narrowly taking down the San Antonio Spurs 113-103 Wednesday night. New Orleans ended the season (36-46) on the season which placed them 9th in the Western Conference. They now have a chance to take down the Clippers and have a chance at the Phoenix Suns.
Los Angeles couldn't take down the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 7-seed game despite leading for a good amount of that action. LA took a lead into the fourth quarter but wasn't able to hold it as Anthony Edwards and DeAngelo Russell closed out the game to advance to play the Memphis Grizzlies. LA will look to bounce back and try and advance to play a playoff rematch against the Suns.
Announced on Friday morning, Paul George has entered health and safety protocols. He will miss the game and the Clippers will have to try and advance without him.
Here are the Pelicans-Clippers NBA Playoffs odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Playoffs Odds: Pelicans-Clippers Odds
New Orleans Pelicans: -1.5 (-108)
Los Angeles Clippers: +1.5 (-112)
Over: 215 (-110)
Under: 215 (-110)
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Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread
If this roster was set up like this before the season started, the Pelicans could have finished around the 6-8 seed range. This is a well-put-together roster that has three elite offensive players. CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Jonas Valanciunas can score the ball with ease. They all combined for 81 of their points in the win against the Spurs. Now that it is the playoffs, that is crucial that their trio is all playing well. Remember, Zion Williamson didn't suit up once this season.
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Another name pops up when you think of the Pelicans' success as of late, but it's one that you might not recognize. Jose Alvarado. Alvarado is the x-factor off the bench for the Pelicans right now. He scored 12 points off 4-9 shooting but drained three 3's and dished out three assists. That doesn't seem like major numbers but he's been doing that consistently as of late. It's not a huge contribution, but it's the timely scores and clutch play in the 4th quarter that shows his value.
If the Pelicans show up to LA with their trio playing well and Alvarado continues to amaze the New Orleans fans, then the Pelicans can potentially “upset” the Clippers Friday night.
Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread
The Clippers are the grit and grind of the 2022 NBA season. Kawhi Leonard didn't suit up once this season and Paul George missed a majority of the season. The good news is that George is back (sort of) but the Clippers still managed to finish the season with a good (42-20) record. The fact that head coach Ty Lue coached them to an above .500 record is spectacular.
LA will now host the Pelicans as the underdogs Friday night. They need to continue to play together as a team as the Pelicans come in as a tough opponent. LA will need to shut down the Pelicans' trio and not let them get into a consistent rhythm. In the loss to the Timberwolves, they allowed Russell and Edwards to get too hot. LA did manage to shut down Karl-Anthony Towns in that loss but it still wasn't enough to advance.
On the offensive side, George was the only one who really showed up besides Reggie Jackson and Norman Powell. George ended with a game-high 34 points. Jackson and Powell combined for 33 points but that isn't going to work if they want to beat the Pelicans. Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, and Robert Covington must play better now that George is out and provide a tough matchup for New Orleans. The Pelicans aren't very good defensively, so this is a favorable matchup to get the offense going tonight.
New Orleans ended the season (41-40-1) against the spread and LA (41-41). They are dead even but LA is (25-16) at home while the Pelicans are just (17-24) ATS on the road.
Final Pelicans-Clippers Prediction & Pick
With George out, this changes things drastically. The Clippers are still capable of covering this spread but I but the Pelicans seem to be playing well right now and should have the advantage. This game will be close, but the Pelicans take it and advance to play the Phoenix Suns.
Final Pelicans-Clippers Prediction & Pick: Pelicans -1.5 (-108)
