Brooklyn Nets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Opening Week
Brooklyn is 2-8 and just gave up 130 in Dallas, and New Orleans returns home angry after a 51-point loss at Golden State on Sunday. The tension at Smoothie King Center is whether Zion Williamson gets the bounce-back game his matchup promises him.
The Matchup
New Orleans is 4-7, scores 117.5 points per game and allows 122.4, and the Pelicans lost 138-87 at Golden State on Sunday, the worst night of their season. Zion Williamson leads New Orleans at 21.0 points per game, Jeremiah Fears leads the team at 4.9 assists, and Derik Queen leads the glass at 6.9 rebounds.
Trey Murphy III is day-to-day with tendinitis in his knee. Keep an eye on whether Murphy plays before placing a bet. Trendon Watford is out with an ankle injury and Yves Missi is out with a bruise on his left knee.
Brooklyn is 2-8, scores 106.7 and allows 115.7, and the Nets lost 130-93 at Dallas on Saturday. Michael Porter Jr. leads Brooklyn at 21.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, and Julius Randle leads the team at 5.0 assists. Egor Demin is out with a bruise on his right leg, and Nolan Traore is day-to-day with soreness in his right calf. Keep an eye on whether Traore plays before placing a bet.
Both teams have played at least ten games, so these are this season's numbers with nothing carried over. DraftKings makes New Orleans a 5.5-point home favorite at Smoothie King Center, with a total of 229.5 and the Pelicans at -174 on the moneyline.
Key Factors
Williamson is the matchup, and Brooklyn has no good answer for him. The Nets' interior is Porter sliding down and spare size behind him, and Williamson scores by going through defenders rather than around them. At home, after an embarrassment, the Pelicans will feed him early and let the game run downhill from there.
Brooklyn's offense is the second problem. The Nets score 106.7 points per game, the weakest attack in this matchup, and their creation behind Porter and Randle thins out fast with Demin out. New Orleans allows 122.4 points per game, which is the honest counter to everything here. A defense that leaky can keep any visitor in a game, and Brooklyn did score 121 at Atlanta last week.
The setting still favors the home team. New Orleans is home after two road games and has had two days to sit with Sunday's loss, while Brooklyn is on the road again after the Dallas beating. Between two bad defenses, the side with the unstoppable interior scorer and the home crowd is the side built to clear a modest number.
Zion at home against a Brooklyn frontcourt that has to slide Porter down and put spare size behind him is the matchup that decides this game, and Brooklyn has nobody who can slow him without fouling. New Orleans defends badly enough to keep any visitor alive, but the Pelicans only need to be ordinary at that end to clear a number this size. Take the New Orleans Pelicans -5.5 at -109.
Game Information
| Date | Wednesday (11/11) |
|---|---|
| Start Time | 7:00 PM CT |
| How to Watch | League Pass |
| Venue | Smoothie King Center |
| Spread | New Orleans Pelicans -5.5 |
| Total | 229.5 |
| Moneyline | New Orleans Pelicans -174 |
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Player Props for This Game
2 props- Michael Porter Jr. ReboundsOver 7.5 +106
- Dejounte Murray PointsUnder 15.5 -111
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Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.