New Orleans Pelicans 2024-25 NBA Championship Betting
Last year, the New Orleans Pelicans posted a winning record and made the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The key to the New Orleans efforts was the health of Zion Williamson. Williamson was touted as a franchise savior when the Pels won the 2019 NBA Draft lottery. But his refusal to commit to keeping his weight down has led to perpetual injuries and lost time. Last year, Williamson was able to stay in the lineup consistently. And that made a difference on the hardwood and at the betting window. However, Williamson can’t stay in the lineup this year, and the results show it.
2024-25 NBA Championship Betting Odds
New Orleans Pelicans NBA Betting Lines
As the All-Star break approaches, the New Orleans Pelicans are 12-38 straight up, 20-29-1 against the spread, and 27-22 over/under the total. New Orleans is 14th in the Western Conference playoff standings. New Orleans is 28 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoff race.
New Orleans's NBA metrics rank 24th for scoring offense, 25th for field goal percentage, 23rd for 3-point field goal percentage, 25th for free throw percentage, and 24th for offensive rebounding. On defense, the Pelicans' metrics rank 26th for scoring defense, 29th for field goal percentage permitted, 22nd for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 28th for defensive rebounding.
Key Players
PF Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game last year. Williamson has missed roughly half of his career starts, much of it due to a weight issue. Willaimson was the first overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke by the Pelicans. He is a 2-time NBA All-Star and was on the 2020 NBA All-Rookie First Team. This year, Williamson played in only 13 of the first 50 games of the season as he continues to eat himself out of the league.
SF Brandon Ingram averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game last year. The Los Angeles Lakers selected him as the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Duke. Ingram was a 2020 NBA All-Star. This year, he is averaging 22.2 points per game as the Pelicans work to trade him.
Last season, CJ McCollum averaged 19.2 points per game. The Portland Trail Blazers selected him as the 10th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft out of Lehigh. McCollum arrived in New Orleans from the Trail Blazers in 2021-22. So far this season, he is averaging 22.1 points per game.
Head Coach
Head coach Willie Green is a former journeyman NBA player who played in New Orleans from 2010-2011. He has been head coach of the Pels since 2021-22 and had a career record of 127-119 at the start of the season.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 6)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2023–24 |
82 |
49 |
33 |
2nd, Southwest |
Lost in First Round, 0–4 (Thunder) |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
42 |
40 |
2nd, Southwest |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
36 |
46 |
3rd, Southwest |
Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Suns) |
| 2020–21 |
72 |
31 |
41 |
4th, Southwest |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2019–20 |
72 |
30 |
42 |
5th, Southwest |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
33 |
49 |
4th, Southwest |
Did Not Qualify |
New Orleans Pelicans History
The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the newest teams in the NBA. The league granted former owner George Shinn an expansion franchise, and he transferred over the Charlotte Hornets to play in the Big Easy. They were known as the Hornets from 2002 to 2013 when they changed their name to the New Orleans Pelicans.
This team immediately succeeded, making the postseason in its first two seasons. However, Hurricane Katrina left the franchise without a home for two years, leading to the team playing games in Oklahoma City during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. That whet the appetite for basketball in OKC, leading to the Seattle Supersonics moving to become the Oklahoma City Thunder a short time later.
Upon this team’s return to New Orleans, the franchise won its first playoff series. The 2007-08 Hornets went 56-26, beating the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. Chris Paul, David West, and Peja Stojakovic were the stars of that team, and they took the San Antonio Spurs to seven games before falling.
New Orleans would not win a playoff series for another decade. The Pelicans swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, as Anthony Davis took his game to another level with the help of DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday.
NBA Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Central
Eastern Conference - Southeast
Western Conference - Northwest
Western Conference - Pacific
Western Conference - Southwest
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