Tuesday night time’s NBA schedule contains a five-game NBA slate, together with a nationwide TV doubleheader on TNT.
The primary of these two video games — Lakers vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET — will mark LeBron James’ first sport in Madison Sq. Backyard (assuming he performs tonight) in three years as he continues his chase of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s for the NBA’s all-time scoring report. The second sport — Pelicans vs. Nuggets 10 p.m. ET — is Nikola Jokic’s first sport again dwelling after shedding back-to-back video games on the highway to 2 Japanese Convention contenders.
Our betting analysts are everywhere in the late sport with a choose on the unfold, the whole and a participant prop wager. You will discover their finest bets for Pelicans vs. Nuggets beneath.
NBA Odds & Picks
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets
Matt Moore: There’s a whole lot of betting evaluation is concentrated on when to fade streaks. If a workforce has been taking part in badly, it’s a purchase low spot. However you could see the workforce really stabilize towards a greater “appropriate” quantity earlier than that occurs.
That’s not the case with the Pelicans with out Zion Williamson. The Pels have misplaced eight in a row and 13 of the final 16, and did not cowl in 12 of the final 16.
Don’t attempt to catch a falling knife.
Denver at dwelling has been dynamite this season and Denver is 3-2 ATS in late begin video games since they turned their season round after the December 6 loss to the Mavericks at dwelling.
Plus, Denver is coming off a two-game shedding streak. The Nuggets are 53% ATS off a loss with Nikola Jokic within the lineup and 8-5 ATS off a shedding streak.
I’ll lay the factors with the Nuggets; issues don’t get higher for the Pelicans. Not but.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets
Andrew O’Connor-Watts: These groups have confronted one another twice already this season and each video games went beneath the whole. Of their most up-to-date assembly, neither workforce cracked 100 factors.
I don’t count on this sport to be fairly that low-scoring, however I believe the present complete is simply too excessive. The Pelicans offense has been stagnant these days. Of their final 5 video games, they’ve an Offensive Ranking of 103.2, in response to NBA Superior Stats — final within the league.
On the opposite aspect, the Nuggets have proven improved defensive capabilities during the last month. Initially of January, the Nuggets ranked twenty fifth in Adjusted Defensive Ranking (115.2), in response to Dunks and Threes — a stat that components within the opponent’s Offensive Ranking in its calculation. Denver at the moment sits at seventeenth (114.1). In the meantime, the Pelicans have been a persistently nice defensive workforce all season at sixth (112.2).
One trigger for concern may very well be Denver’s historic offense. The Nuggets have an Adjusted Offensive Ranking of 117.4 — tied with the Celtics for second within the league — and trails solely the Kings this season and the 2020-21 Nets as one of the best offense within the historical past of the league.
However in a historic offensive 12 months, that’s already factored into the present quantity and Denver performs at a gradual sufficient tempo that I’m not involved. They rank simply twenty first in Tempo (98.6) and twenty second in Offensive Possession Size (14.8). The beneath has already taken some steam, so store round for one of the best quantity all the way down to 230.5.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets
Kenny Ducey: Ever since Zion Williamson was injured in the beginning of the month, it’s been the CJ McCollum present in New Orleans. In 12 video games with out the star massive, he’s averaged 24.8 factors per sport and gone cashed this over on eight of 12 events, together with the final two video games.
With Williamson off the ground this season, McCollum has seen a Utilization Charge bump of three.3% and has scored 2.7 extra factors per 36 minutes. Now, he will get to face a protection that’s permitting 26.6 factors per sport to opposing level guards, which is the second-worst mark within the league.
McCollum went 0-for-8 from three in opposition to the Nuggets final week and turned the ball over six instances, but nonetheless missed this complete by three. He ought to fare higher this time round given what we’ve laid out above, and it’s additionally value noting that Jamal Murray made a shock look on the harm report and will miss this one. That’d make me all of the extra assured in McCollum scoring 23 or extra.
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