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The Los Angeles Clippers (41-37) will try to bounce back from Friday’s loss when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans (39-38) Saturday evening. This contest has major playoff implications, with LA sitting just 1.5 games ahead of New Orleans. The Pelicans hold the head-to-head tiebreaker at the moment.
Kawhi Leonard is not listed on the injury report so he’s available on the second night of a back-to-back. The Pelicans are clean on the day-to-day injury report, although they are still without Zion Williamson indefinitely.
The Pelicans are 3-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The total comes in at 226.5. New Orleans is -155 on the moneyline, while Los Angeles is +115.
Clippers vs. Pelicans, 8:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Pelicans -3
New Orleans smoked the Clippers 131-110 in the most recent meeting between the two teams about a week ago, and LA is now without Paul George for the rest of the regular season. The Pelicans are playing with great confidence as they’ve won seven of their last 10 games to climb back into the mix for the No. 6 seed. New Orleans is 21-16 ATS as the home team this season. LA is 10-9 ATS as a road underdog, and 6-7 ATS with no rest. Take the Pelicans to win and cover in this one.
Over/Under: Over 226.5
The Pelicans have been the best defensive team in terms of points allowed per game since the All-Star break, and the Clippers are coming in after a bad offensive showing Friday against Memphis. However, Los Angeles is still tied for sixth in scoring over the last five games, and the Pelicans are tied for 12th. The last meeting between these teams went well over this number. Even with the Clippers coming in on no rest, the over is the move here.