The Philadelphia 76ers (35-16) travel to the Big Easy Friday for an 8 p.m. ET game against the New Orleans Pelicans (22-29) at Smoothie King Center. Below, we analyze the 76ers-Pelicans odds and lines, with NBA picks and predictions.
Philadelphia has won three of its last four games while going 2-2 against the spread. The only loss was against a red-hot Memphis Grizzlies team in which Sixers All-Star C Joel Embiid took a rest day since he’s still returning from a knee contusion that kept him out of action from March 14-April 1.
New Orleans has been dealing with its own injury issues but was clubbed in back-to-back games by the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks. The Pelicans have lost four of their last five games (1-4 ATS) with their only win coming against a hapless Houston Rockets team this past weekend.
76ers at Pelicans: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: 76ers -250 (bet $250 to win $100) | Pelicans +195 (bet $100 to win $195)
- Against the spread/ATS: 76ers -6 (-110) | Pelicans +6 (-110)
- Over/Under: 228.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
76ers at Pelicans: Key injuries
76ers
- PG George Hill (thumb) out
Pelicans
- PP Lonzo Ball (hip) questionable
- SF Brandon Ingram (toe) questionable
- PG Kira Lewis Jr. (calf) questionable
- SG Josh Hart (thumb) out
- SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker (ankle) out
Special NBA Betting Promotion!
Place a $1 bet on either team’s money line, WIN an additional $100 (in free bets) if either team hits a 3-pointer during the game today. Promotion available in CO, IN, MI, NJ, TN, VA and WV. IA and PA residents, don’t miss BetMGM‘s risk-free, first-bet offer!
Place your legal, online sports bets at BetMGM! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!
76ers at Pelicans: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
76ers 122, Pelicans 108
Money line (ML)
PASS because Philadelphia is the right side but the -250 price is too steep for an NBA regular-season money line.
Play our new free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Against the spread (ATS)
NOLA’s recent poor performance can be mostly attributed to all its injuries. Ingram has missed the past five games, PF Zion Williamson missed three straight before returning to the lineup Wednesday and Ball was sidelined by a hip injury from March 21-April 4.
While Zion and Ball have returned for the Pelicans, Ingram’s status for this game is questionable and NOLA still has cluster injuries in its backcourt. Speaking of which, the backcourt is where Philly’s true edge lies.
The Sixers have the bigs in Embiid and Dwight Howard to clog up the middle and make life difficult for Zion, but who else on the Pelicans can create a quality look for himself or others?
BET 76ERS -6 (-110) for 1 unit.
Over/Under (O/U)
PASS since my predicted score is too close to BetMGM‘s projected total and again, there are questions as to how exactly the Pelicans are going to generate offense against a Sixers team second in defensive rating.
Philadelphia should have no problem holding up its end of the scoring bargain but that’s not enough for me to put cash on the Over.
Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @Geoffery_Clark on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional NBA sports coverage:
HoopsHype | Celtics Wire | LeBron Wire | Lonzo Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage. This information is for entertainment purposes only. We make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1368]