The opening game of the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament will pit the Los Angeles Lakers against the New Orleans Pelicans. These teams faced off on Sunday afternoon to close out their regular seasons, with the Lakers winning that game in blowout fashion. But we could see a different result here, in a pick ’em game in New Orleans. No matter which team comes out on top and advances to the first round of the playoffs, our Lakers vs Pelicans props should help you cash some tickets regardless.
Lakers vs Pelicans Player Prop #1: Jonas Valanciunas Under 6.5 Points (-122)
The first of our Lakers vs Pelicans props for Tuesday night is the under on points for Jonas Valanciunas of the Pelicans. Valanciunas is usually the most dominant big man in the games that he participates in. But that is not the case when taking on Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers. Valanciunas only played seven minutes for the Pelicans on Sunday, but went just 1/3 from the field in that contest.
In this game, Valanciunas will certainly play more for his team with everything on the line in the play-in tournament. But our NBA betting picks still lack faith in him to put up any sort of numbers against Davis, who is still one of the best shot blockers in the NBA today.
Lakers vs Pelicans Player Prop #2: Herb Jones Over 1.5 Threes (+100)
Our second player prop selection in Tuesday’s matchup between the Lakers and Pelicans is for Herbert Jones to make at least two shots from three-point range. Jones was one of the few bright spots for the Pelicans against the Lakers on Sunday. He made four of his seven attempts from beyond the arc in that contest and we should see more efficient shooting from distance from Jones in this massive play-in tourney tilt.
For the season, Jones has shot 41.8% from three-point range, which is an excellent number by any standard in the league today. He has also made at least two threes in three of the four games the Pels and Lakers have played against one another this season. Look for another strong shooting showing from Jones in what should be a better overall showing from the Pelicans than we saw just a couple of nights ago.
