Is there a team in the NBA hotter than the New Orleans Pelicans right now?
The Pels have won nine of their last 10 games, including seven straight to pull into the top spot in the Western Conference at 18-8.
New Orleans won back-to-back games against the Phoenix Suns over the weekend, and now it heads to Utah to take on the Utah Jazz, who have fallen off after a hot start to the season.
The Jazz are currently 10th in the Western Conference and have won just three of their last 10 games. Utah is still over .500, but the team is regressing back to where many thought it would be prior to the 2022-23 season.
The Pelicans won’t have Brandon Ingram again on Tuesday night, but the team is expected to welcome Herb Jones back into the rotation. He is listed as probable on the latest injury report.
With Zion Williamson playing some of the best basketball of his career and the Pelicans on a win streak, can they take down a Jazz team that has been better at home (9-5) than on the road this season?
Here’s a look at the latest odds and a pick for this game:
Pelicans vs. Jazz Odds, Spread and Total
Pelicans vs. Jazz Prediction and Pick
This is the first of two games in a row that these teams will play against each other, and I think this line is too short for the surging Pels.
New Orleans has been on fire as of late, climbing to No. 2 in the NBA in net rating and ranking fifth in offense and third in defense.
The Jazz are still an elite offense this season, but they have fallen all the way to 24th in the league in defensive rating, a major problem when you’re facing an elite offense like the Pelicans.
This is just the seventh time this season that the Pelicans have been favored on the road, going 4-2 against the spread in their first six games in this spot.
The Jazz may be a better team at home, but I question how they’ll match up with Zion down low, especially since they’ve lost to the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves in their last two games, allowing 22 and 13 to Rudy Gobert and a 31-point triple double to Nikola Jokic.
Back the Pels to extend their winning streak to eight games.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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