New Orleans Pelicans vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 31/12/2023, 06:44  by Joseph King | Modified on 31/12/2023 at 06:59 in NBA Predictions

The seventh-place Pelicans face off against the ninth-placed Lakers in this Western Conference matchup on Sunday evening. At 18-14, New Orleans is even with the sixth-place Mavericks and will be looking to leapfrog them for a spot in the top six and an automatic playoff position. They were able to put a stop to a two-game losing streak last Thursday with a 112-105 victory over the Utah Jazz. Despite losing three of their last six outings, New Oreleans is 6-4 in their last 10 appearances. The Pels will be looking to improve upon their 10-7 home record with another win here. They've found it tough to get results at the Smoothie King Center Arena lately as they had previously lost three straight on their home court before Thursday's win over the Jazz. Overall, the Pelicans find themselve ran ranked above average in the league with a +1.4 adjusted net rating placing them 11th.

The Lakers have had a tough run of things over the second half of December. They’ve lost six of their last eight, bringing their record to 17-16 on the season and placing them ninth in the standings. Los Angeles lost a heartbreaker in their most recent outing, falling 108-106 to the Timberwolves on the road. It was a controversial result as LeBron James hit what looked to be a game tying three-pointer with two seconds left, only to have it ruled a two-pointer with his toe just barely scraping the three-point line. While they’ll be disappointed to lose, it was a strong performance against the West’s top-ranked team. The Lakers also earned a 129-120 away win over the second-place Thunder one week ago, showing that this team is capable of going toe-to-toe with the best when they are on their game.