New Orleans Pelicans vs. Washington Wizards Preview, Prediction, Picks & Odds - 11/15/2021

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington DC

Where to watch: NBC Sports Washington, Bally Sports New Orleans

DraftKings: Wizards -2.5

BetMGM: Wizards -2.5

Caesars: NL

Pelicans: 2-12

Wizards: 9-3

Pelicans: won 112-101 vs. Grizzlies on Saturday

Wizards: won four straight; won 104-92 at Magic on Saturday

The Washington Wizards keep on finding ways to win, but Monday may prove to be a difficult test without their top scorer.

Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal (personal) will not play Monday when the Wizards host the New Orleans Pelicans at Capital One Arena.

Beal is likely to be replaced by Aaron Holiday for the 9-3 Wizards, whose depth and timely scoring continue to be the biggest key to their hot start. Washington will try to push its winning streak to five games on Monday.

The Wizards are coming off a 12-point victory over the young Orlando Magic. Beal did not play in that game either, but Spencer Dinwiddie led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds; the point guard made 10 of 18 shots despite going only 3 of 9 from 3-point range.

Kyle Kuzma continued his great start with the Wizards with 17 points (despite shooting 6 of 14 and making 3 of 10 from 3-point range) but has been a beast on the glass after another 10-rebound performance against the Magic. Montrezl Harrell also chipped in with 20 points (9 of 13 shooting) and seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.

"I'd rather be where we are than not," first-year Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. "You just have to fight that temptation to get complacent. It hasn't come easy, and I give our guys credit because we've found ways on nights to eke out a win. But we can't sit here and say, ‘We're good.'"

Unseld has gotten the message across in his first season. The Wizards have won nine of 12 to begin a season for the first time since the 2014-15 run when John Wall was at the helm; the Wizards were 3-9 to start last season before the impressive playoff push with Russell Westbrook and Beal.

So far, Dinwiddie, Kuzma and Harrell have been perfect pieces to surround Beal with. The fact the Wizards can win games without their All-Star is a testament to what they can be capable of down the road.

The Pelicans, meanwhile, continue to navigate the waters without Zion Williamson and are off to a 2-12 start without the star big man. New Orleans did grab its second win of the season Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a team-high 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting; Josh Hard had a team-high 11 assists in 33 minutes while Brandon INgram pitched in with 19 to defeat the star-studded Grizzlies.

"We won. It feels good to say that," said Pelicans coach Willie Green, who got his first win since Oct. 29. "It's been building toward this. Even in the last game, we could see player movement, ball movement, guys knocking down shots. We just stuck with it.”

The Pelicans are going to be in “stick with it” mode for a long time. Despite having Ingram as an All-Star, losing Lonzo Ball this summer has clearly put a dent in this team. Williamson is going to move the needle and hopefully provide a strong frontcourt with Jonas Valanciunas (who is having a career season) when the time comes.

Right now, the time is far away.

The opponent has helped in plenty of ways, but the Wizards have enough depth with Beal out right now. That’s not something that existed last season, or even in years prior. So long as that group can stay healthy and provide an even balance of scoring, the Wizards are going to beat a lot of teams this year. Wizards by 15

The Pelicans are 7-18 ATS following a division game over the past three seasons.

The Pelicans are 7-10 ATS against Southeast division opponents the past three seasons.

The Wizards are 6-0 ATS this season after an under.

The Wizards are 20-9 ATS following a win of 10 or more over the past three seasons.

PG: Devonte’ Graham

SG: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Josh Hart
C: Jonas Valanciunas

PG: Spencer Dinwiddie

SG: Aaron Holiday
SF: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: Daniel Gafford

Pelicans: PF Zion Williamson (foot, out)

Wizards: SG Bradley Beal (personal, out)

Points: Jonas Valanciunas -- 19.6

Rebounds: Jonas Valanciunas -- 13.5

Assists: Devonte’ Graham -- 5.4

Points: Bradley Beal -- 23.3

Rebounds: Kyle Kuzma -- 9.2

Assists: Spencer Dinwiddie -- 5.7