The Los Angeles Lakers (27-7) take on the New Orleans Pelicans (11-23) at the Staples Center. The game will air on ESPN at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday, January 3, 2020.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 222.5 points with Los Angeles set as an 11-point favorite at BetMGM.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Lakers ATS Prediction
The Pelicans will be looking for a similar result after easily covering the 5-point spread against the Houston Rockets in their last outing, 127-112. The combined points for the game (239) finished well over the O/U total of 223. New Orleans’ 7.7 turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over Houston, who had a mark of 15.9. The Pelicans’ mark was better than their season average of 13.1, while the Rockets’ was above their season average of 12.4. Lonzo Ball played a massive role in the victory for New Orleans, racking up 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on his way to his zeroth triple-double this year.
The last time the Lakers took the court, they defeated the Phoenix Suns, 117-107, but failed to cover as 11-point favorites. The game’s combined points (224) came in just under the O/U total of 225.5. The Lakers made 24 of their 34 free throws (70.6 percent) and had a turnover percentage of 10.3 (better than their season average of 13.1). With 31 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, Los Angeles’ LeBron James led the way with his seventh triple-double this season.
This is the second game of the season between these two squads. Anthony Davis scored a game-high 41 points in the first matchup, in which the Lakers beat the Pelicans 114-110 but did not cover as 6.5-point favorites. He also recorded nine rebounds. The game finished with a total of 224 points, which was 7 points below the projected point total of 231 points. Los Angeles had a better turnover percentage (13.5 vs. 16.4). New Orleans, meanwhile, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (30.2 vs. 19.4).
New Orleans comes into the contest with records of 11-23 straight up (SU) and 13-19-2 against the spread (ATS). A little over half of the Pelicans’ games have finished under the total.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles owns records of 27-7 SU and 18-16 ATS. Vegas is known to set the total high when the Lakers are involved, as 58.8 percent of their games have finished under the total.
The sharp-shooting offense of Los Angeles (second in the league with an effective field goal percentage 0.543) will go head-to-head against the bottom-tier defense of New Orleans (21st in effective field goal percentage allowed 0.535). The Lakers figure to have the edge on that end of the court.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Lakers Pick
Prediction: ATS Winner – Pelicans, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
On the road, New Orleans is 6-9-2 ATS with 9 unders and 8 overs.
Los Angeles is 9-7 ATS at home with 10 unders and 6 overs.
When holding opponents under 100 points, Los Angeles is 11-0 and New Orleans is 3-0.
The Lakers are 23-7 when they reach 100 points, while the Pelicans are 11-20.
New Orleans averages 16.1 fast break points per game, which ranks fourth in the NBA. Los Angeles ranks 28th in fast break points allowed per game (15.6).
The Lakers average 53.1 points in the paint per game, which ranks second in the league. The Pelicans rank 25th in points allowed in the paint per game (51.0).
Los Angeles ranks fourth in second chance points per game (14.6) while New Orleans ranks 24th in second chance points allowed per game (14.2).
The Pelicans rank fourth in three pointers attempted per game (38.8) while the Lakers rank 23rd (30.7).
Los Angeles ranks sixth in points off turnovers (18.2 per game) while New Orleans ranks 24th in points off turnovers allowed (18.6 per game).
The Lakers rank third in rebounds allowed per game (41.9) while the Pelicans rank 19th (46.2).
Los Angeles ranks second in steals per game (8.6) while New Orleans ranks 17th (7.6).
The Lakers rank first in blocks per game (7.1) while the Pelicans rank 15th (4.8).
Los Angeles ranks seventh in assists per game (26.1) while New Orleans ranks 20th in assists allowed per game (24.7).
Over its last five contests, New Orleans is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Los Angeles is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over its last five games.
The Pelicans have outscored opponents by an average of 10.6 points in their last five games. On the season, New Orleans has been defeated by an average of 4.2 points.
During their last five games, the Lakers have scored an average of 112.6 points per game (0.0 above their season average) and allowed an average of 112.2 points per game (6.9 above their season average).
