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Pelicans vs. Spurs Prediction and Odds: Side with the Favorites in the Battle of Bad Teams

By Matt De Saro

The Spurs and Pelicans are struggling to win games and keep pace with the rest of the West. Which struggling squad comes out on top tonight?
The Spurs and Pelicans are struggling to win games and keep pace with the rest of the West. Which struggling squad comes out on top tonight? / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
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The New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs are two teams struggling to make a dent in the Western Conference standings. The pair are two of only six teams that have yet to break 10 wins and look destined to finish in the basement of the West. 

The 9-15 Spurs are in better shape but only just barely. They are coming off a loss to the Nuggets and have lost three of their last four. Before that, however, they did put together a nice four-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Pelicans haven’t won back-to-back games in about a month and are coming off a victory over the lowly Pacers.

Here are the odds for this matchup, courtesy of WynnBET: 

Pelicans vs. Spurs Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

  • Pelicans: +2.5 (-110)
  • Spurs: -2.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • Pelicans: +115
  • Spurs: -135

Total: 

  • 219.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Pelicans vs. Spurs Prediction and Pick

The Spurs will be in bounce-back mode tonight after getting beat up 127-112 by the Denver Nuggets. The offense was led by Lonnie Walker who racked up 16 points with Devin Vassell chipping in 15 points. The team doesn’t have a lot of household names but they are starting to mesh despite their bad record. 

The Pelicans have won five of their last nine games but are still a pretty bad team overall. The shining light on this roster is Brandon Ingram, who put up 26 points and dished out five dimes in the win over Detroit.

However, as a team, the Pelicans shot just 43 percent from the field and struggled behind the arc. Had they been playing a better team I don’t think they would have emerged victorious and have serious doubts about their chances of covering this spread.

The trends back me up as the Pelicans are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games on the road and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as road underdogs. They are also struggling to cover against bad teams and are just 1-4 ATS in their last five against teams with a losing record. New Orleans is on an 0-5 ATS streak against the Spurs and I think that after tonight that mark moves to 0-6. 

Pick: San Antonio Spurs -2.5 (110)

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