It may appear on the surface that the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Clippers and No. 9 seed New Orleans Pelicans are far away, but only two-and-a-half games separate the two Western Conference playoff hopefuls.
The two meet in Los Angeles on Saturday night in a massive game for playoff positioning with the Clippers looking to find a rhythm without Paul George, who will miss about two-to-three weeks with a knee sprain. Los Angeles looked the part on Thursday without the forward, beating a playoff caliber team in the Thunder by 22.
Here are the odds for Saturday night’s matchup:
Pelicans vs. Clippers odds, spread and total
Pelicans vs. Clippers prediction and pick
The Pelicans have struggled on offense on the road this season, bottom 10 in the league in offensive rating away from the Smoothie King Center. They now face an elite Clippers defense, especially at home, checking in in the top 10 in that metric this season.
The Clippers are battling injuries once again, but the most important piece is healthy and playing at a high level: Kawhi Leonard. In 11 games since the All-Star break, Leonard is averaging nearly 30 points per game, six rebounds and over three assists on 57/52/87 shooting splits. Simply other wordly stuff.
While the Pelicans are winners of three straight those victories came against the Hornets, Spurs and on the road against the Rockets. This is a serious step up in class for a Pelicans team that is still a middling team in the bottom of the West.
Lay it with the Clips at this small of a number.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.