Pelicans vs Kings Prediction
The Kings are still missing Keegan Murray, Maxime Raynaud, Ben Simmons, and Dylan Cardwell, while the Pelicans have ruled out Yves Missi, with Jordan Poole listed as day-to-day. Two of the coldest teams in the league collide in a real stinker of a matchup. The good news is that one of these teams gets to secure their first win of the season, so there is a lot at stake in this one.
The Kings have the advantage of an extra day’s rest, but I still give the edge to the Pelicans, who at the very least have been competitive in all four of their losses.
Sacramento Kings Betting Preview
The Sacramento Kings have been doing it tough so far this season as they’ve lost their first four games and things didn’t look great in their 130-103 blowout loss to the Spurs on Tuesday. De’Andre Hunter led the team with 24 points on eight of 13 shooting, Zach LaVine added 22 points on seven of 10 shooting, while Domantas Sabonis tallied 20 points with 14 rebounds and eight assists.
As a team, the Kings shot 43 percent from the field and 13 of 37 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep pace with the Spurs from the very start and were always fighting a losing battle after getting outscored by 80-54 in the first half. Malik Monk had a rough game of just three points on one of seven shooting, while Jonathan Mogbo scored just two points on one of nine shooting.
New Orleans Pelicans Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have yet to get going this season, and they are now hoping to avoid a fifth straight defeat after getting routed by the Nuggets in a 104-91 home defeat last night. Zion Williamson led the team with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, Derik Queen tallied 11 points with 12 rebounds, while Dejounte Murray chipped in with 10 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
As a team, the Pelicans shot just 41 percent from the field and seven of 30 from the 3-point line as they got off to a nightmare start and got outscored by 37-18 in the first quarter to trail by 22 points, before seeing their rally come up short after they cut the deficit to just five points at one stage. Trey Murphy III had a rough game as he scored just six points on two-of-seven shooting.
Why the New Orleans Pelicans will win
- The Pelicans have won each of their last 10 games as home favorites against Western Conference opponents.
- The Kings have lost eight of their last nine road games.
- The Pelicans have covered the spread in each of their last seven games as home favorites against Western Conference opponents.
- The Kings have failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven games at Smoothie King Center.
Why the Sacramento Kings will win
- The Pelicans have lost 14 of their last 15 games.
- The Kings have won each of their last three games as underdogs against opponents who are on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- The Kings have covered the spread in eight of their last nine games as road underdogs against opponents who are on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- The Pelicans have failed to cover the spread in each of their last five home games against Pacific Division opponents following a loss.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the Pelicans’ last seven home games against Pacific Division opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Seven of the Kings’ last eight games at Smoothie King Center have gone UNDER the total points line.