There’s a lot on the line Sunday afternoon when the Los Angeles Lakers (46-35) meet the New Orleans Pelicans (49-32) in the final game of the 2023-24 regular season. The Lakers are locked into the play-in tournament but could get the No. 8 spot which would give them two shots at the playoffs given the format. The Pelicans could clinch the West’s final automatic playoff spot with a win, regardless of what anyone else does. The Lakers won two of the three meetings between these sides this season.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James are both listed as probable for this game. Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt remain out. Brandon Ingram and Naji Marshall are both questionable for the Pelicans, with the former expected to make his return after missing a few weeks with a knee injury.
The Pelicans are 4-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook and the total is coming in at 228. New Orleans is -170 on the moneyline while Los Angeles is +142.
Lakers vs. Pelicans, 3:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Lakers +4
The Lakers are 17-22 ATS on the road this season but are 12-11 ATS as road underdogs. They are 17-18 ATS as underdogs. The Pelicans have won four in a row as they try to clinch an automatic playoff berth but are 24-25 ATS as favorites and 14-14 ATS as home favorites. They have covered three times in the last four games.
New Orleans has been one of the better teams against the number this season but a lot of that has been due to solid road performance. Even though the Lakers have struggled away from Crypto.com Arena, I think there’s enough incentive for Davis and James to deliver huge performances Sunday. Give me Los Angeles as the underdog in this one.
Over/Under: Over 228
The first meeting between these teams went under this total, but the second and third games went over. The Lakers are 25-14 to the over on the road and are the most over-friendly team in that scenario. The Pelicans are 19-20 to the over at home. New Orleans has gone under its totals in three of the last four games but did have three straight overs prior to that stretch. The Lakers have gone over in their last three games and five of the last six. I’ll take the over in this one.
