The New Orleans Pelicans pay a visit to the Los Angeles Lakers at the STAPLES Center on Friday night.

The New Orleans Pelicans have been in a bit of a rut as they will be hoping to avoid a fifth straight defeat after falling short against the Clippers in a 111-106 road loss on Wednesday. Nickeil Alexander-Walker exploded for 37 points on 15 of 23 shooting, Brandon Ingram added 22 points while Steven Adams and JJ Redick each scored 12 points. As a team, the Pelicans shot 47 percent from the field and 10 of 28 from the 3-point line as they fell behind by 18 points thanks to a disastrous 15-point second quarter, before rallying with 35 points in the fourth quarter to keep the final scores respectable. Zion Williamson, Eric Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball were all missing on Wednesday and none are available for this one.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have been the benchmark of the league so far as they’ve won 10 of their first 13 games and they will be gunning for a fifth straight win after making light work of the Thunder in a 128-99 road win on Wednesday. LeBron James led the way with 26 points and seven assists in 27 minutes of action, Montrezl Harrell added 21 points off the bench while Anthony Davis chipped in with 18 points on eight of 13 shooting. As a team, the Lakers set the tone by holding the Thunder to just 21 points in the first quarter, before making it a complete blowout in the second half where they poured in 70 points.

Looking at the betting trends, the Pelicans are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a loss, 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games playing on one days rest and 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The Lakers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a losing record.

Head to head, the over is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings overall, the Pelicans are 0-3-1 ATS in the last four meetings in Los Angeles and the Pelicans are 1-4-1 ATS in the last six meetings overall.

The Pelicans were able to remain competitive against the Clippers in their last outing thanks to a career night from Alexander-Walker, but it’s going to be tough to replicate that performance against the red-hot Lakers in this one. The Pelicans will once again be very shorthanded and they are only 0-3-1 ATS in the last four meetings in Los Angeles, but I’m going with the Lakers to get the win and cover as long as the line isn’t too hefty.