Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram. (Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)
The New Orleans Pelicans need a strong finish to the year and they didn’t get off on the right foot out of the all-star break. On Thursday, they lost to the Raptors, 115-110, despite 36 points from Brandon Ingram. He’ll need to be their star because it is becoming more and more unclear when Zion Williamson will return from injury. The Pelicans are 30-30.
The New York Knicks are in a better spot. They are sixth place in the East at 34-27 and are healthy. Last night, Julius Randle dropped 46 points in Washington to lead his team to a 115-109 win over Washington. Even with no days rest, the Knicks are favorites at home.
Pelicans vs. Knicks odds, spread and total
Pelicans vs. Knicks prediction and pick
The Pelicans have a big problem without Zion on the floor. They simply don’t have enough playmaking. Zion has missed the last 23 games and at that point, they were 23-14. They have gone 7-16 since and in their most recent 15 games are 4-11 which is 26th in the NBA over that stretch. They’re only ahead of tanking teams like Detroit, Houston, and San Antonio. For that stretch, their offensive rating is 111.1 They are 23rd in effective field goal and true shooting percentage. Their numbers are relatively average across the board, but they just keep finding ways to lose games.
Ingram has played in their last 10 games and is averaging 26.2 points per game. He’s buoying their offense single-handedly. However, if the game is close, Ingram only has 37 clutch time points this year which is 77th in the NBA, the Pelicans are 5-6 in those 11 games. Jalen Brunson is 2nd in the league in clutch time scoring with 127 points and the Knicks are 17-14. I trust how the Knicks operate down the stretch of close games, more than the Pelicans, so I’ll go with New York as a slight favorite.
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