The Lakers and Pelicans meet in the 7/8 seed matchup in the Western Conference. When the Lakers opened up as a favorite, my first thought was the wrong team is favored here. The Lakers continue to be overpriced. New Orleans is one of three teams in the NBA this season to be top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. LA’s defense will really be the issue here. They are allowing 120 points per game on the road and the Lakers were a below .500 team both straight up and ATS on the road this season. The Pelicans are also 22-10 straight up against teams that allow more than 116 points per game.
New Orleans is fully healthy entering the NBA postseason. As for individual efforts, Zion Williamson has paved the way in terms of scoring this year, putting up 23 points per game. Jonas Valanciunas continues to prove he’s a viable option at center, adding 12.2 points per contest while posting team-high marks in both rebounding (8.8 RPG) and blocks (0.8 BPG). Brandon Ingram is back tonight also contributing this year, adding 21 points per game while dishing out a team-leading 5.7 assists per night. Public is all over LeBron and the Lakers but I like the Pelicans here at home to knock off the Lakers on Tuesday night.