Los Angeles Clippers vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/05/2024

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, January 5, 2024

Venue:  Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA

Where to Watch:  BSNO

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Clippers +1, Pelicans -1; Over/Under:  228.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Clippers +1, Pelicans -1; Over/Under:  228.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Clippers +0.5, Pelicans -0.5; Over/Under:  228.5 points

Los Angeles Clippers:  21-12 (1st place, Pacific Division)

New Orleans Pelicans:  21-14 (1st place, Southwest Division)

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Los Angeles Clippers:  8-2 last 10

New Orleans Pelicans:  7-3 last 10

The Clippers are entering this game with a 21-12 record overall and they are 7-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 4 game winning streak with wins coming against the Charlotte Hornets, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Miami Heat, and the Phoenix Suns in their last game. Paul George led the team in points in that game with 33 while Kawhi Leonard was next on the team with 30 points. James Harden led the team in assists in that game with 11 while Kawhi Leonard led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 55.3% from the field, 52.9% from 3-point range, and 90.6% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.2 PPG against them. The Clippers have an ATS record of 17-16 this season and their O/U record is 13-19-1.

The Pelicans are entering this game with a 21-14 record overall and they are 12-7 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 4 game winning streak with wins coming against the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last game. Zion Williamson led the team in points in that game with 27 while CJ McCollum was next on the team with 24 points. Brandon Ingram led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Larry Nance Jr. led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 55.6% from the field, 46.2% from 3-point range, and 88.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112 PPG against them. The Pelicans have an ATS record of 20-14-1 this season and their O/U record is 17-18.

The current betting odds have the Pelicans listed as a 1 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pelicans have looked good in their games this season with their 21-14 record overall. They have looked better in their home games with their 12-7 home record and they have looked really good in their games lately. They went through a bit of a rough stretch but now they have won 4 games in a row and all the momentum is on their side coming into this one at home. Meanwhile, the Clippers have also looked great in their games this season with their 21-12 record overall which has them surging up the standings now as they are starting to find their rhythm. They have also won 4 games in a row coming into this one and they had a really rough start to the season before finally starting to turn the corner lately. They have still struggled in their road games though with their 7-8 road record and the Pelicans have been hearing a lot of criticism the last few weeks which is part of what sparked this win streak they are on. With both of these teams healthy and playing the way they have been in their games lately, the edge goes to the home team as the Pelicans will be able to feed off that energy of the home crowd. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pelicans to cover the spread in this game. 

Clippers Pelicans Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, January 5, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Pelicans 122 Clippers 118.

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Los Angeles Clippers: 1-6 ATS as an underdog. 18-27 ATS revenging a loss vs opponent of 10 points or more. 2-12 ATS after playing a road game. 9-1 UNDER against Southwest division opponents. 9-5 UNDER after playing a road game.

New Orleans Pelicans: 12-7 ATS in home games. 7-2 ATS off an upset win as an underdog. 8-4 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3. 12-4 UNDER after one or more consecutive overs. 13-6 UNDER after a game where they covered the spread.

Los Angeles Clippers:  None.

New Orleans Pelicans:  J. Robinson-Earl (PF) Ques Fri - Illness. T. Murphy III (SF) Ques Fri - Knee. M. Ryan (SF) Mid Feb - Elbow.

“It's just making the right pass and making the right play — that's what we've got to be good at. We want teams to double team us with all the shooting we have, but we just didn't handle it the right way.” - Tyronn Lue after his team’s win against the Suns in their game on Wednesday.

“We've all been locked in and connected on the defensive end, and that leads to a lot of better things on the offensive end; transition points and just the movement of the ball. So, when me, CJ and B.I. do get in our iso, we've got more space.” - Zion Williamson after their win against the Timberwolves in their game on Wednesday.

PG James Harden

SG Terance Mann

SF Paul George

PF Kawhi Leonard

C Ivica Zubac

PG CJ McCollum

SG Brandon Ingram

SF Herbert Jones

PF Zion Williamson

C Jonas Valanciunas

PPG: K. Leonard (24.6)

APG: J. Harden (8.1)

Reb/G: I. Zubac (9.5)

PPG: B. Ingram (22.8)

APG: B. Ingram (5.5)

Reb/G: J. Valanciunas (9.7)

Coaches:

Los Angeles Clippers: Tyronn Lue (4th season)

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green (3rd season)