The New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards are both without one of their stars right now, but both are doing just fine. Washington is keeping pace in the Eastern Conference while the Pelicans are red hot and moving up the ladder in the West. These two teams will face off in a game that figures to be intense.
The Wizards are on the road so they should be the underdogs. The Pelicans are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now, and with a bunch of teams sitting close together in the standings, every win is critical. It will be hard to pick against New Orleans in this one as it has been unbeatable for more than two weeks now.
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Odds Analysis
The Wizards are 37-28 straight up and 31-33-1 against the spread. Washington has done a really nice job on the road against NBA betting lines, covering in 19 of its 32 attempts. The Wizards are 16-8 covering NBA spreads.
The Pelicans are 37-26 straight up and 34-28-1 against the spread. New Orleans is 12-16-1 against the spread at home on the year. The Pelicans are 18-17-1 against the spread as the favorite.
Player to Watch
Bradley Beal — The Wizards’ star shooting guard is off to a strong start so far in March and will look to keep it going against the Pelicans on Friday. Beal helped his team get back in the winning column on Tuesday, finishing with 30 points and seven assists in a 117-113 victory over Miami. He is a key piece because John Wall remains sidelined with a knee injury, although he should start making his way back onto the court soon.
Beal is averaging 25 points and eight assists over the first three games of the month. The Wizards lost three straight prior to Tuesday’s win over the Heat so Beal’s hot streak came at a good time.
The 24-year-old also had a double-double against the Pacers last weekend, finishing with 22 points and 11 assists in the loss. He had 26 points in the Wizards win over New Orleans back in December.
Key Stat
10. That’s how many games in a row that New Orleans has won in a row coming into this one. The Pelicans picked up their most recent victory on Wednesday, defeating the Kings 114-101.
Three of those ten wins came in overtime including a 138-128 double-overtime over the Nets on February 10th. The Pelicans also notched a win over the Spurs on February 28th, winning 121-116.
This is the longest winning streak of the season for New Orleans. The team is currently in fourth place in the Western Conference, a game behind the Trail Blazers. Anthony Davis has been unbelievable during this streak and the team needed him to step up even more after it lost DeMarcus Cousins to a season-ending torn Achilles.
Most though the Pelicans would fall off without their second big man in the fold, but New Orleans has found a nice groove and is surprisingly ahead of more established teams like the Thunder and the Spurs in the standings.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Pelicans have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season, and look for their success to continue in this matchup. Look for Davis to lead the way to a victory, but keep an eye on the spread. If the Pelicans are too big of a favorite, consider taking the Wizards to cover this spread in NBA betting.
NBA Odds: Pelicans 111, Wizards 107
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