Subscribe
Follow Us
The New Orleans Pelicans (31-33) visit the Sacramento Kings (37-26) on Monday night! Action tips off at 10:10 p.m. ET. Below we continue our NBA odds series with a Pelicans-Kings prediction, pick, and how to watch.
New Orleans has lost five of their last six games and dropped to ninth in the Western Conference. The Pelicans covered 46% of their games while 52% went over the projected point total. Sacramento has five of their last six and sits in third place in the West. The Kings covered 55% of their games while 52% went over. This will be the third of four meetings between the conference foes. New Orleans took the first matchup at home, 136-104 early last month.
Here are the Pelicans-Kings NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Pelicans-Kings Odds
New Orleans Pelicans: +6 (-114)
Sacramento Kings: -6 (-106)
Over: 237.5 (-110)
Under: 237.5 (-110)
How To Watch Pelicans vs. Kings
TV: NBA TV, Bally New Orleans, NBCS California
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread
New Orleans has struggled of late after looking like one of the best teams in the league during the first quarter of the season. New Orleans has fallen off in nearly every aspect of the game. They rank a pedestrian 16th in both scoring (114.2 PPG) and points allowed (113.4 PPG). While the Pelicans remain a strong rebounding team who pulls in the ninth-most rebounds per game, they otherwise don't stand out in any major way. That being said, they don't have any major weaknesses outside of their inability to shoot the three. The Pelicans are just the definition of an average team.
New Orleans is led by do-it-all forward Brandon Ingram. Ingram is a strong scorer who averages 23.3 PPG to go along with 5.1 RPG and 4.7 APG. BI has been tremendous since returning from injury as he finished February averaging 28.3 PPG in nine appearances. Ingram's outside shot finally started to fall after some rust when he immediately returned as he averaged 1.7 threes per game at a 42% clip. That bodes well for New Orleans' chances of covering tonight considering the Kings allow the third-highest three-point percentage in the league.
The X-factor for the Pelicans tonight is guard CJ McCollum. McCollum was the steady hand that kept New Orleans afloat amid their countless injuries and he has put together a strong season as a result. CJ averages 21.1 PPG and 5.9 APG while shooting 38% from deep and averaging nearly three threes per game. He found a ton of success in their earlier win over the Kings when he scored 24 points on 82% shooting. with 24+ in back-to-back games leading into tonight, expect McCollum to have another strong outing against a suspect Sacramento defense.
Why The Kings Could Cover The Spread
Sacramento continues to be the “feel-good” story of the 2022-23 NBA season as the Kings are well on pace to snap the longest playoff drought in the league. Sacramento has gotten to this point thanks to their tremendous offense. The Kings average 121.1 PPG – the most in the NBA. They do an excellent job running the fast break and making extra passes as they rank eighth in fast break scoring and fourth in assists. All those extra passes and transition looks lead to a lot of easy baskets for Sacramento. As a result, they rank second in the league with a 50% overall shooting percentage. They are especially efficient inside the arc where they lead the NBA with a 59% two-point field goal percentage. That bodes well for the Kings' chances of covering tonight considering the Pelicans allow the highest two-point field goal percentage in the NBA.
Sacramento is led by do-it-all forward Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis serves as the primary playmaker for the Kings as he leads them with 6.9 APG. Additionally, he leads the league in rebounding with 12.4 RPG and also chips in 18.9 PPG. His playmaking is what could be most crucial tonight given that point guard De'Aaron Fox is a game-time decision thanks to a hamstring injury. Despite that, Sabonis has proven his ability to carry the Kings to cover games. While they are just 2-4 without Fox this season, Sabonis' playmaking could explode if he's forced into a larger workload.
The X-factor for Sacramento is sharpshooter Kevin Huerter. The 6'7″ wing averages 15 PPG for the season thanks primarily to his proficiency from three. Hurter averages a career-high 2.7 threes per game on 40% shooting. Coming off a 29-point outing against the Timberwolves and with Fox banged up, look for Huerter to get up plenty of shots tonight.
Final Pelicans-Kings Prediction & Pick
With Fox's status in question, I like the Pelicans to keep things tight tonight.
Final Pelicans-Kings Prediction & Pick: New Orleans Pelicans +6 (-114)
