The New Orleans Pelicans will take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Pelicans-76ers prediction and pick.
These teams couldn't be in more different places. The Pelicans have been mostly rough to watch this season with Zion Williamson out injured, as shown by their 18-28 record on the year, and they're dealing with a number of injury woes.
While there hasn't been much success to write home about for New Orleans, the same can't be said for Philadelphia. The Sixers look primed to make the postseason again with a 27-19 record. This game is the perfect opportunity for the 76ers to continue their winning ways and try to climb their way up the Eastern Conference standings, with Joel Embiid leading the way.
Here are the Pelicans-76ers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Pelicans-76ers Odds
New Orleans Pelicans: +11.5 (-108)
Philadelphia 76ers: -11.5 (-112)
Over: 212.5 (-108)
Under: 212.5 (-112)
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread
Despite their overall success, the 76ers haven't been a particularly good offensive team. They only put up 107 points per game while shooting average percentages from 2- and 3-point ranges. New Orleans hasn't been great, but they do excel at controlling the pace of the game, as they only allow their opponents to shoot 86 shots per game, one of the lowest numbers in the league. That should effect a Sixers offense that needs a lot of possessions to account for their mediocre shooting numbers.
Philadelphia won't be entering this game at full strength. Guards Seth Curry and Shake Milton have both been ruled out of this contest, along with forward Danny Green. Defensive ace Matisse Thybulle is also questionable here. All four of those players play big roles for the Sixers, so playing without even just three of them would be a tough blow to overcome. If Thybulle is eventually ruled out, Philadelphia will be forced to give Furkan Korkmaz and Isaiah Joe extended run.
Click here for our Risk Free $1000 Bet!
*To claim, new users need to register, make a first deposit, and then simply place their first real-money wager on FanDuel Sportsbook up to $1000! If a user loses their first wager, we’ll refund their loses in the form of a free-bet up to $1000!*
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
The Pelicans are one of the worst statistical teams in the NBA, particularly on offense. New Orleans averages 105 points per game while shooting an awful 43% from the field. Both of those numbers are in the bottom 10 in the league. The Sixers are already holding opponents to a 45% shooting percentage, so it's fair to expect the Pelicans to struggle on offense throughout this contest.
The 76ers aren't the only team dealing with injuries. Four out of five New Orleans starters will miss this contest for one reason or another, leaving power forward Herb Jones as the lone starter left standing. The Pelicans are already a bad team with all of their starters playing, so one can only imagine how poorly they will play with their B-team playing all 48 minutes. A starting lineup of Jose Alvarado, Garrett Temple, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jones, and Jaxson Hayes isn't exactly anything to be afraid of, so Joel Embiid will be ready to feast on this group. Embiid is playing like an MVP favorite and should dominate.
Final Pelicans-76ers Prediction & Pick
This is an easy pick. It's absolutely impossible to trust the Pelicans when they're missing every single one of their decent players. Lock in the Sixers and don't look back.
Final Pelicans-76ers Prediction & Pick: Philadelphia 76ers: -11.5 (-112)
Follow Us
Subscribe