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NBA Picks Tonight | Lakers vs. Pelicans Bet
Fresh off a loss at the hands of the defending champion Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers will suit up once again Friday night against the upstart New Orleans Pelicans.
It’s a tough matchup on a quick turnaround, so rather than targeting specific player matchups, I’m fading the entire Lakers offense tonight.
The purple and gold have struggled on the second leg of back-to-backs this season, failing to clear this total in six of eight games, with the two overs coming against the notably poor defenses of the Spurs and Hawks.
In fact, without any rest between games, their offensive efficiency rating drops from their season average of 113.6 to 109.7, a mark that would rank 26th in the NBA.
And tonight, the matchup should work against them. The Pelicans rate as the eighth-best defense in the NBA. They protect the paint well, allowing the eighth-fewest made baskets at the third-lowest shot frequency.
To score against the Pelicans, you need to be able to make 3s, which has been the Lakers' weakness this season. Los Angeles is second-to-last in the NBA with 11 made 3s per game.
In fact, against the 10 teams allowing their opponents the highest percentage of points via 3-pointers (New Orleans allows the fifth-highest rate), the Lakers have remained under this line in 11 of 17 games.
There will undoubtedly be questions around Anthony Davis and LeBron James’ availability tonight, as well as D’Angelo Russell, who missed the Nuggets game with an injury. I’ll jump on this line regardless of who is playing for the Lakers tonight, as I have them at 112 points, even with a full roster.
Pick: Lakers Team Total Under 115.5 Points (-115 at DraftKings) | Play to 114.5
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