NBA Odds: 76ers-Pelicans prediction, odds and pick

Philadelphia 76ers (20-13) visit the New Orleans Pelicans (22-12) on Friday night at 8:40 pm ET. Last year, Philadelphia won both games by double-digits. New Pelicans have won four straight games to move back into first place in the Western Conference.

The 76ers are road favorites against the Pelicans. Joel Embiid has been playing well recently. James Harden has improved his game recently and could cover the spread.   The Pelicans are 13th in points allowed. The 76er's are second in the Eastern Conference. They are two games behind the second place Pelicans in Western Conference standings. Their last 10 games have seen them win seven and lose just one. Philadelphia's last three games saw them score 48, 35, and 44 points.

The Pelicans are home underdogs against the 76ers. They have to stop Joel Embiid and keep forward Zion Williamson from scoring. Jonas Valanciunas has held EmbIid to 19.5 PPG and 46% shooting in eight games. Zion has been red-hot recently, averaging 30.2 Ppg in the month of December. He had a 43-point game against Timberwolves. The Pelicans have dominated the paint all season long.

I'll take the points with the home Pelicans thanks to how well Valanciunas has performed against Embiid.