NBA picks: Clippers vs. Pelicans prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Friday, March 15

Harden has surprisingly been ruled out as he deals with a shoulder injury. The Pelicans are 6.5-point favorites and the total is coming in at 218. I like New Orleans as the ATS pick and the over on the total.

Harden is listed as questionable, while Leonard and George are not on the injury report. The line is now Pelicans -6. I’ll wait for Harden’s final status before making a pick but I still like New Orleans in this game.

Western Conference playoff hopefuls meet Friday evening when the Los Angeles Clippers (42-23) meet the New Orleans Pelicans (39-26) for the fourth time this season. The Clippers are on the second night of a back-to-back set after defeating the Bulls Thursday, while the Pelicans saw a four-game winning streak end at the hands of the Cavaliers. New Orleans has won two of the three previous meetings between these teams.

James Harden can be considered questionable after missing Thursday’s game due to a shoulder injury but it’s expected he’ll play. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both played Thursday and we’ll see if they suit up on both games of the back-to-back set. The Pelicans are clean on the day-to-day injury front, still missing Dyson Daniels as he recovers from a knee injury.

The Pelicans are 7.5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 217.5. New Orleans is -290 on the moneyline while Los Angeles is +235.

Clippers vs. Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Pelicans -7.5

The Clippers are 33-32 ATS on the season, while the Pelicans are 36-28-1. Los Angeles is 4-6 ATS as a road underdog, 5-6 ATS on no rest and 5-12 ATS with a rest disadvantage. On the flip side, the Pelicans are 12-11 ATS as home favorites and 11-7 ATS when playing with a rest advantage.

All three results in the season series so far have been by double digits, so this game is unlikely to be close even if the teams match up well on paper. This line should close substantially if everything checks out for the Clippers on the injury front but I like New Orleans to bounce back from a loss in a key West showdown. Take the Pelicans to cover.

Over/Under: Over 217.5

Two of the three meetings in the season series have gone over this line. The Clippers have gone over their totals in the last three games and four of the last five, while the Pelicans have three straight unders. New Orleans has just one over in its last nine contests. Despite this trend for the Pelicans, I do think the over hits tonight on a relatively lower number.