We’re here to share our NBA odds series, make a Pelicans-Knicks prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
The New Orleans Pelicans will travel to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to face the New York Knicks. We’re here to share our NBA odds series, make a Pelicans-Knicks prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
The Pelicans lost 114-106 to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday at the Smoothie King Center. They fell to a bad start early on as they trailed 28-21 after the first quarter. Then, they led 60-57 at halftime. They held a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, things fell apart in the fourth quarter. The Pelicans were without C.J. McCollum. Thus, someone else had to step up. Brandon Ingram led the way with 22 points but shot 7 for 16 from the field. Meanwhile, Zion Williamson had 19 points and eight rebounds. Herbert Jones added 15 points. Likewise, Jonas Valanciunas went off for 14 points and 17 rebounds. Trey Murphy III had just nine points while shooting 3 for 9.
The Pelicans were not particularly bad at shooting. In fact, they shot 45.5 percent from the floor, including 39 percent from the triples. But what killed them were the turnovers. Somehow, they turned the ball over 19 times.
The Knicks are coming off a game against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. Ultimately, this was a game against a bad team sandwiched in between games against two contenders. They will have tired legs while also dealing with a very dangerous team.
The Pelicans lead the head-to-head series 23-21. Additionally, these teams met earlier in the season, with the Pelicans defeating the Knicks 96-87 at home. The teams have split the last 10 games. Moreover, the Knicks are 3-2 over the past five games at MSG.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Pelicans-Knicks Odds
New Orleans Pelicans:
Moneyline:
New York Knicks:
Moneyline:
Over:
Under:
How to Watch Pelicans vs. Knicks
Time: 7:35 PM ET/4:35 PM PT
TV: Madison Square Garden Network and WVUE
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Pelicans enter this game with a 31-25-1 mark (change later). Additionally, they will come into this battle with a 15-12-1 record against the spread on the road. The Pelicans are also 9-6 against the spread (change) against the Eastern Conference. Lastly, they are 8-6 against the spread when they have had the rest advantage.
The Pelicans hope to recover from their bad game against the Bulls. They need their stars to execute. First, Williamson is their best player, averaging 22.4 points per game while shooting 58 percent from the floor. Ingram is another good player, averaging 21.4 points per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the floor, including 36.1 percent from beyond the arc. But both were awful at handling the rock on Sunday. In fact, Ingram turned the ball over nine times, and Williamson had three.
Valanciunas can be effective. Ultimately, he has averaged 13.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor. Murphy has been good, averaging 12.4 points per game. However, his shooting could be better as he is only making 41.6 percent from the floor, including 34.6 percent from the three-point line.
The Pelicans will cover the spread if their stars can avoid turning the ball over. Then, they need to contain Brunson.
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Knicks come into this game with a 30-25-2 record against the spread. Also, they are 15-12-1 against the spread at the Garden. The Knicks are also 10-11 against the spread against the Western Conference. Likewise, the Knicks are 4-6 against the spread when they have had a rest disadvantage.
The Knicks continue to go through their struggles. Mainly, that is because they have been without Julius Randle, who is out for several weeks with a shoulder injury, and OG Anunoby, who has a right arm injury. New York may need to stay afloat without these two for several weeks.
The Knicks are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, with enough leeway to ensure they will remain in a playoff spot if they just play average basketball over the last two months. But they still need Jalen Brunson to set the tone. Ultimately, he has always been the top guy on Broadway. But he needs to do more to help the Knicks. He is already the top scorer on the Knicks and the top distributor.
The Knicks also need more from Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. Likewise, they need Isaiah Hartenstein to step up. With Randle out, someone needs to be the guy to grab rebounds. First, they need to keep Hartenstein healthy. But he is returning from his own injury (achillies) and has been relatively ineffective so far. Hartenstein needs to have at least 30 minutes and be an impact player in the paint.
The Knicks will cover the spread if they can win the board battle. Additionally, they need to avoid turning the ball over.
Final Pelicans-Knicks Prediction & Pick
It is difficult to trust the Knicks without Randle. Meanwhile, the Pelicans struggled to beat the Bulls at home without McCollum. But he did log a full practice. If that is the case, pick the Pelicans to win this game.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Pelicans-Knicks Prediction & Pick: Pelicans ML
About the Author
Robert B. Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon. Rob went 40-30 in his picks against the spread in January 2024.
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