Few teams are as overlooked and anonymous as the New Orleans Pelicans. And there is plenty of good reason for that. New Orleans is one of the worst teams in the NBA. But even in the best of times, the Pelicans constantly rate near the bottom as far as public wagering appeal. No team in the Association could be more opposite of that than the Los Angeles Lakers. Indeed, the Lakers are among the NBA’s flagship franchises. Add in the acquisition of LeBron James over the summer and you have a combustible combination that serves to drag down the Lakers board value. The Lakers will host the Pelicans Wednesday in what is a must win for Los Angeles as far as their playoff aspirations.
New Orleans Pelicans Vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Date and Time: Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
NBA Odds at BookMaker.eu: Check Back Later
Pelicans Vs. Lakers TV coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
The Lakers have been a terrible home value because the general betting public associates the myth of home court advantage with the super stardom of LeBron James and therefore consistently bets the price up to overlay status. Meanwhile sharps may gravitate to the Pelicans as a team that is largely ignored by the masses.
Current Form
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to flood gamblers with red ink as they have gotten the money in just two of their last six games. LA has gone over the total in four of their last six. Few teams have been more consistent overlays on the pro basketball board. Los Angeles is now 29-30 straight up, 25-32-2 against the spread, and 23-35-1 under the total. LA is now four games out of the final Western Conference playoff spot.
The Pelicans have been modestly more effective lately with two covers in their last three games. New Orleans has cleared the total in four of their last six outings. The Pelicans now stand at 27-34 straight up, 29-31-1 against the spread, and 33-28 over the total.
Matchup Metrics
New Orleans ranks an impressive fourth in the NBA for scoring offense. Offsetting that is a defense that ranks 27th for points allowed.
The Lakers metrics explain their plight. LA ranks 14th in the NBA for scoring offense and 23rd for points allowed.
Top Players
Naturally LeBron James leads the Lakers with 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game.
Anthony Davis leads the Pelicans with 27.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per outing.
ATS Stats
Few casual gamblers want anything to do with the New Orleans Pelicans as a road dog and that is exactly what makes them potentially valuable in that role. In fact, New Orleans has covered four of their last five getting points away from home. Six of their last nine in that role have gone over the total. Balanced against the at is the Lakers subpar wagering value as a home chalk. Los Angeles has paid in just four of their last ten games as a favorite at Staples Center with eight of their last ten in that situation going under the total.
Head to Head
New Orleans has been a classic contrarian play in their series with the Lakers. The Pelicans have covered the spread in five of their last seven games against Los Angeles with three of the last four in this series going over the total. And at the Staples Center New Orleans has also had a knack of getting paid. Consider the Pelicans have covered 12 of their last 18 visits to LA against the Lakers. Four of the last five in this matchup at Los Angeles have gone under the total.
Free NBA Betting Odds Pick
The Lakers continue to be nothing but an overhyped, overrated overlay.
NBA Betting Odds Pick: New Orleans Pelicans
NBA Betting Odds Score Prediction: Pelicans 101, Lakers 100
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