The Lakers and their newest star Lonzo Ball bounced back and got the W, so they’ll be encouraged on Sunday, when the New Orleans Pelicans come to Los Angeles to try to get their season going after two starting losses.
Pelicans at Lakers
Spread: New Orleans -3.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 218 (-110)
Brave Pelicans still come up short against champs
It isn’t pleasant to lose your home opener 128-120 to the same team you lost the opener to last season. It’s also not good being 0-2 to begin your season with. Brings back bad memories. Additionally, the moral victories don’t count toward playoffs. Still, the New Orleans Pelicans do deserve some praise for being a challenge to the Warriors. Any time a team loses to the Warriors with a deficit smaller than 10 points it means that team was competitive and gave their best shot to win. Not only that, but they led by 15 in the first half.
This was a much better display than in the first game of the season in Memphis. The ball movement was much better, and it did wonders for Pels’ offense. The Pelicans made 11 of 19 from 3-point range in the first half and shot 54 percent overall. The big duo of Davis and Cousins seemed unstoppable most of the time, and for once, the bench showed up as well. Former Warrior Ian Clark was hyped up to go after his old team and dropped 14 points and Jordan Crawford added 13. Even Jrue Holiday was a tad better than against the Grizzlies. The Pelicans still settling for too much around the perimeter or outside of the paint, but it’s not going to be fixed easily as they do need space to operate with the two big superstars.
Although their next three games are all on the road, the Pels face the lowly Lakers, surging Blazers and searching Kings for next three matchups. With none of these teams expected to be real players for the Western Conference, they could find their groove on this road trip. They simply can’t afford to lose their next game, or the cars will stand sliding down the slope.
Place: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Date/Time: Sunday, October 22th, 2017. 9:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSN
The Lakers win a shootout in Arizona
The game against the worst defense in the NBA (and the competition is tough) came just at the right time for the Lakers, who were grounded by the Clippers in the opener. The Suns, as the young Lakers can witness, are nowhere near as good defensively. Led by Lonzo Ball, the Lakers won 132-130, with individual career highs left and right.
Seemingly the only message about the defense the Suns coaching staff managed to get across to their players was to duck under all screens and make Lonzo Ball shoot it. It’s hard to tell if it backfired or not, as Ball was just 12-of-27 from the field, but he surely wasn’t shy about letting it go. The additional space given has allowed him to play with more control and he missed a triple-double by a single rebound. Brandon Ingram also enjoyed freestyle basketball, scoring 25 points on just 14 shots. Still, it was an up and down game all the way. The Lakers biggest lead was by 12, and in a game with 262 points, it felt like 2. The Lakers didn’t play any better than their opponent, they just shot the ball slightly better.
Walton made two changes compared to the first game. Corey Brewer got the start, and he can help on defense when the matchup is right. Also, Kuzma got major minutes and responded well, so he may have earned a minutes increase.
New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers Game Trends & Prediction
The Pelicans managed to cover against the Warriors, by a single point, so they come to this game at 1-1 ATS record. The total smashed the line and went easily over, so the Pelicans also sport a 1-1 record when it comes to over/under.
The LA Lakers were small underdogs in their last game, so the straight up win automatically gave the first payout to their backers. For the season, the Lakers are now 1-1 against the spread. To completely mirror the Pelicans, they’ve also played an easy over in the last game and pose a 1-1 O/U record.
A unique ranking system – AdmiRank helps you understand how good NBA teams are on a scale to 100. Neither of the teams has yet earned much respect in these rankings. The Pelicans played a half-a-good game in two showings, and the Lakers don’t get any bonus points for barely beating the Suns.
The Pelicans have the benefit of seeing these Lakers play twice, so I believe they can come up with a decent plan to slow down their scoring. It’s hard to imagine the Lakers doing the same with Cousins and Davis, so their tactics will likely be to wear them out by a frantic tempo.
The bookmakers have opened the market with Pelicans a 3.5-point favorite and a total points line set at 218. This leaves us with only one option, betting the LA Lakers. Despite the positive showing at home, the Pelicans aren’t to be trusted when playing on the road. They will have at least an equal opportunity to win this game with their towering superstar duo, yet the odds that have been set like this imply that they are much a better team, and that’s not true. Go with the Lakers +3.5 and add a moneyline bet for a good payout.
My Pick: L.A. Lakers +3.5 (-110) and moneyline (the odds not yet available)
Total: (no wager on the total points on this game)
