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The LA Lakers face the New Orleans Pelicans on the road for the second time in two days after booking a seven-eight seed clash in the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament. The Lakers bagged a 124-108 win in Sunday's season finale, which ended the Pelicans' top-6 hopes and secured their position as the eighth seed in the standings.
LeBron James and Co. were a level above New Orleans in that contest on both ends, led by the four-time NBA MVP's 28-point triple-double that included 17 assists. While the Lakers emerged victorious in that clash, Tuesday is a new game and an opportunity for the Pelicans to resolve their woeful performance in the previous matchup.
It may seem like LA is the favorite, but the Pelicans have the potential to cause an upset, making this an enticing clash to look forward to.
LA Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans: preview, betting tips, odds and prediction for 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament
Money line: Lakers -111, Pelicans -107
Spread: Lakers +1.5 (-111), Pelicans -1.5 (-109)
Total (o/u): Lakers o223.5 (-111), Pelicans u223.5 (-109)
Editor's note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
LA Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Preview
The Lakers enter this game with a 10-1 record when their starting lineup has been whole. That's a decent sample size to realize that LA's rhythm and consistency could be the same as last year's playoffs. The chemistry on both ends seems spot-on after repeated struggles defensively.
Led by LeBron James in the previous outing, the Lakers were highly active on that end, which allowed them to thrive offensively. LA had multiple deflections and 12 steals, with James accounting for five. He also held Zion Williamson to 12 points on 4 of 13 shooting, which benefitted the Lakers immensely.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, must figure out a way around LA's size. It has bothered them in their four-game season series, leading to three blowout losses. Williamson, in particular, will have to improve his scoring and win the duel against James to see his team through.
The Pelicans got their lone win over the Lakers this season behind impressive 3-point shooting. Several factors, including the Lakers' oversized lineup, contributed to that.
However, New Orleans can still replicate that feat, especially with the kind of shooting threat it has. They can stretch the Lakers' defense and generate better looks from deep with better screening and ball movement at a high frequency.
LA Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Starting Lineups, Subs and Rotations
Lakers starting lineup
PG - D'Angelo Russell, SG - Austin Reaves, SF - LeBron James, PF - Rui Hachimura, C - Anthony Davis
Spencer Dinwiddie will continue to be the sixth man for the LA Lakers, while Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince and Gabe Vincent could be offered crucial minutes in the rotation.
Pelicans starting lineup
PG - CJ McCollum, SG - Brandon Ingram, SF - Herbert Jones, PF - Zion Williamson, C - Jonas Valanciunas.
The New Orleans Pelicans could unleash Ingram in his second game back from injury after holding him to 23 minutes. Larry Nance Jr. and Trey Murphy III could be the most used players off the bench, while Jose Alvarado and Dyson Daniel's minutes could be impacted by Ingram's increased playing time.
LA Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Betting Tips
After dropping 28 points in the last game, LeBron James is favored to score over 26.5 points. He has stepped up in crunch games this season, so he may have a good shot at covering his total.
Anthony Davis is favored to grab over 12.5 rebounds. He had 11 in the last game, but the Lakers star center has covered the total in three of his past four outings.
Meanwhile, Zion Williamson is favored to score under 24.5 points after Sunday's no-show. James has caused him enough trouble in a one-on-one situation. That could persist on Tuesday.
LA Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Prediction
The LA Lakers have a money line of -111, while the New Orleans Pelicans are at -107, suggesting this could be a close game. New Orleans has the advantage with a -1.5 spread, though. That gives it a marginal advantage as the favorite, as per oddsmakers.
However, the Lakers are predicted to cover that and win this game. They have been dominant against the Pelicans because of their size and matchup advantage. It may not be a blowout as the last game, but the Lakers could prevail again.
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