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NBA Betting Picks: Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans picks, preview and prediction

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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Pelicans vs Clippers: Brandon Ingram will try to help the Pels stage another upset vs the Clips

The Denver Nuggets (11-12 SU,9-14 ATS) will travel to New Orleans to meet the Pelicans (7-19 SU, 11-15 ATS) at the Smoothie King Center. Will the Pelicans bounce back from a road loss to the Houston Rockets or will the Nuggets right the ship after a loss to the Bulls on Monday?

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Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans betting lines and odds

Sportsbook: BetUS

Over/Under: 213

Point spread: Pelicans +2.5 (-110)

Best moneyline: Pelicans +115 , Nuggets -135

Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans injury report

Pelicans: Josh Hart (GTD) | Zion Williamson (Out)| Daulton Hommes (Out) | Didi Louzada (Out)

Nuggets: Nicola Jokic (day-to-day) | Bol Bol (Out) | Bones Hyland (Out) | Austin Rivers (Out)

Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans preview

Pelicans Playing Better of Late

Over their last ten games the New Orleans Pelicans are 5-5, compared to 2-8 in the previous ten. Over that span they are 19th in Offensive Rating, 17th in Defensive Rating and 15th in Net Rating per NBA Advanced Stats. Much of the slight improvement can be attributed to Brandon Ingram’s ability to score of late. In his last four games Ingram has posted 27, 29, 24 and 40 points. He also added 26 points in a win against the Wizards back on November 24th as well as 21 points in a road win against the Jazz on November 26th.

Check out our Louisiana Betting Guide before placing a bet on the Pelicans from the state of Louisiana.

The five games the Pelicans have won out of their last ten came against good teams like the Jazz, Wizards, Clippers (twice) and Mavericks. While they are off of a loss to the Houston Rockets, it was a bit of a fluke as the Rockets went 17-40 from beyond the arc while the Pelicans shot 10-38. Additionally, the Pelicans are 6-5 ATS at home while the Nuggets are 0-2 ATS as Road Favorites this season.

Denver Abysmal Defensively

The Nuggets come into this one struggling mightily on the defensive end, and have overall been one of the worst teams in the NBA. Over the last ten games they rank 17th in Offensive Rating, 30th in Defensive Rating and 27th in Net Rating per NBA Advanced Stats. The Nuggets have also been terrible when Nikola Jokic has been off the court.

Looking at their loss to the Bulls Monday night as an example. With one minute left in the 3rd quarter the Nuggets trailed the Bulls by just 3 points. Nikola Jokic got taken out of the game and by the time the 9 minute mark had rolled around in the 4th quarter, the Nuggets were down 13. This has been the story for the Nuggets all season long, as they have one of the worst ranked bench units in the NBA.

Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans Prediction

The Nuggets are not a team I want to back right now. They are trending in the wrong direction and have become hyper self-aware of their issues this season. It’s tough to back a team on the road as favorites when they can’t get stops and rely on one player to carry the load all game. Look for the Pelicans to get whatever they want offensively tonight as they try to bounce back from a loss to the Rockets on Sunday.

As aforementioned, the Pelicans could have won that game if not for the Rockets shooting 42.5% from three. I think that has created some value on the Pelicans as home underdogs here, as this game should probably be a pick’em if not have the Pelicans as slight favorites.

Pick the Pelicans to cover the spread at BetUS.

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Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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