NBA picks: Cavaliers vs. Pelicans prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Wednesday, March 13

Mitchell is officially in for the Cavaliers and will start. The line hasn’t moved, and I like Cavaliers +5.5 and the over on the total, although I do believe the Pelicans will ultimately prevail in the contest.

Mitchell participated in shootaround and it seems like he’s going to return to the lineup for Cleveland in this game, even though he’s still officially questionable. The Pelicans are now 5.5-point favorites and the total is 217.5. We’ll wait for a final status before making an updated pick but I still think Cleveland as the ATS pick and the over on the total makes sense.

Playoff hopefuls collide in a cross-conference matchup Wednesday as the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-24) visit the New Orleans Pelicans (39-25). The Cavaliers have lost their last two games, while the Pelicans are on a four-game winning streak. New Orleans won the last meeting between these teams 123-104 but both sides were missing key players. The Cavaliers were down Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley in that game while the Pelicans were without Zion Williamson.

Cleveland has listed Mitchell as questionable for this contest as he recovers from a knee injury. Mobley and Max Strus remain sidelined. New Orleans is clean on the injury front outside of Dyson Daniels, who remains out with a knee injury.

The Pelicans are 7-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook with the total coming in at 216.5. New Orleans is -270 on the moneyline while Cleveland is +220.

Cavaliers vs. Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Cavaliers +7

The Cavaliers have managed to hold their own despite plenty of injuries. They’re 17 games above .500, 11-10 ATS as the underdog this season and 7-6 ATS as the road underdog. The Pelicans are 17-13 ATS as the home side this season, with a 12-10 ATS mark as the home favorite. The Cavaliers are 13-8-2 ATS after a loss while the Pelicans are 19-19 ATS after a win.

As long as Mitchell does suit up, I think the Cavaliers can at least cover this line. New Orleans should find a way to win this game but it’ll be much closer than the first head-to-head meeting. Give me Cleveland to cover if Mitchell plays.

Over/Under: Over 216.5

Both teams trend toward the under. The Cavaliers are 29-35-1 to the over while the Pelicans are 28-35-1 to the over. After four straight unders, the Cavs have actually gone over their totals in the last three games. The Pelicans have gone under their totals in seven of the nine games since the All-Star break. However, this number is too low for me to consider the under. The last matchup went over this line without Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Williamson. At least two of those guys are back in for sure, and I like the over as a result.