New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards: Prediction and betting tips
The New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards matchup is part of the nine-game slate that the NBA has prepared for December. This is an East meets West battle and this is the first time both teams meet this season having split the results 1-1 last season.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a record of 13-11 and they are 10th in the NBA Western Conference standings. They are coming from an upset win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and their record over the past four games is at 2-2.
On the other side of the fence, the Washington Wizards are near the bottom of the NBA Eastern Conference standings just above the Detroit Pistons. This team is on a five-game losing streak and will hope to stop the bleeding soon.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards:
The New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards game will happen at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. MNMT and Bally Sports New Orleans are official broadcast partners and they will share the feed to NBA League Pass subscribers for those who prefer online live streaming.
Moneyline: Pelicans (-300) vs Wizards (+240)
Spread: Pelicans -7.5 (-110) vs +7.5 Wizards (-110)
Total (O/U): Pelicans (u241.5) vs Wizards (o241.5)
New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards:
The Washington Wizards have a total of six players on their injured list. Eugene Omoyuri, Landry Shamat and Johnny Davis will be absent as they will all need more time to heal from their respective injuries.
Darius Gafford is marked as 'questionable' to play and should be a game-time decision. Ryan Rollins still has no timetable to return from his knee injury while Delon Wright is expected to be back by late December.
Meanwhile, Zion Williamson is a game-time decision for the Pelicans as he needs to check on his ankle injury before playing. Matt Ryan and Larry Nance Jr. are expected to be back at least by mid-January, 2024.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards: Predicted lineups
If Zion Williamson sits, expect Naji Mashall to move to the starting lineup or they can go small with Jose Alvarado or Trey Murphy III filling in. CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones and Jonas Valanciounas are locks on the starting five.
For the Wizards, Jordan Poole and Tre Jones have been the backcourt tandem. Mike Muscala mans the center position in their last game while Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija are the starting forwards.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards: Betting tips
Brandon Ingram has been a reliable scorer for the Wizards as he is given 24.5 points on the NBA props. However, in the last two games, he has only averaged 14.5 points. The trend is not going up for him and it is a risk to see him over.
With high expectations this season, Jordan Poole is having 18.5 points on the NBA prop and he has only averaged 9.5 points in the last two games. Picking him to cross the mark is quite a risk and he should go under.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards: Prediction
With or without Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans are the favorites to win against the Wizards. This may be a sore to watch offensively and the total should be under. The spread of 7.5 should be covered as the Wizards have been horrible all season.
