Lakers vs Pelicans Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Tuesday, March 14th

Check out our free Lakers vs Pelicans pick and preview for this NBA game in New Orleans. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Lakers vs Pelicans NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans
Where: New Orleans at Smoothie King Center
Date: Tuesday, March 14th
Betting Odds LAL -1.0, LAL -103 | NO -117 O/U 225.5

So far, the Lakers have put together an overall record of 33-35, while going 33-32-3 vs the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Los Angeles has an overall record of 2-1, including going 2-1 against the spread.

The Lakers are coming off a disappointing 112-108 loss to the Knicks. Going into the game, they were favored to win by 3 points. Los Angeles was not able to turn things around in the 2nd half, as they trailed the Knicks by 4 going into halftime. In the loss, D’Angelo Russell led the team in scoring with 33 points on a field goal percentage of 68.4%.

The Pelicans come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 33-35. So far, the team has gone 31-37-0 against the spread. Against the spread, New Orleans has a mark of 2-1. Straight up, their record is 2-1 in these games.

The Pelicans will look to keep things rolling, as they previously beat the Trail Blazers by a score of 127-110. Heading into the game, they were 3 point favorites against the spread, giving them an ATS win. New Orleans played well enough in the second half to prevent the Trail Blazers from making things interesting down the stretch, as they led by 20 going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Trey Murphy III, as he contributed 41 points while hitting 65.0% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Lakers picked up the win 120-117 win over the Pelicans. Heading into the game, Los Angeles was the 3.0 point underdogs, giving them an ATS win. So far this season, the Lakers have a record of 2-1 vs the Pelicans. Last year, the Lakers saw a drop in overall scoring when playing the Pelicans, averaging 104.67 points per game. As for Los Angeles, they actually improved their points per game numbers in head-to-head matchups, averaging 117.67 points per contest against the Pelicans. Through the last 5 matchups between the teams, New Orleans has an ATS mark of 3-2. But, looking at the scoring margin in these games, an average of just 1 points per game separates the teams. A combined average of 233 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Coming into today’s action, Los Angeles is averaging 116.6 points per contest. This figure places them 8th in the league. Coming into today’s game, the Lakers will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.6 made 3’s per game. If the Los Angeles offense is going to turn things around, not only do they need to improve their outside shooting but they must do a better job protecting the ball. Currently, they are averaging 13.6 turnovers per game.

On defense, the Lakers will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 28th ranked unit in points allowed per game.

Without LeBron James, Los Angeles will need Anthony Davis to step up and put together a strong scoring performance against the New Orleans today. This season, James leads the team in scoring with 29.5 points per game. Davis is the team’s 2nd leading scorer with 25.9 points per game, which places him 17.0th in the NBA. In his 43 games, he has hit 56.0% of his field goal attempts and is averaging 12.5 rebounds per game.

The Pelicans come into today’s game as the 16th ranked scoring offense at 114.0 points per game. So far, the Pelicans are averaging 99.7 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. Although the team tends to play at a more deliberate pace, they are currently one of the more efficient shooting teams, connecting on field goal attempts at a rate of 47.8%.

Against the Lakers, the Pelicans will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 13th in points allowed.

This season, the Pelicans offense has primarily worked through CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 61 games, McCollum is 42nd in the NBA at 21.2 points per game. So far, him and Valanciunas have accounted for 32% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 35.2 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Jonas Valanciunas is grabbing 9.6 rebounds for New Orleans to go along with 1.7 assists.