New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs Prediction: The Playoffs Start Tonight for These Teams
New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs Prediction: The Playoffs Start Tonight for These Teams
- When: 5:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: League Pass
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New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs Prediction
The playoffs start tonight.
That's how these two teams need to view this game, at least.
Let's set the stage. The New Orleans Pelicans are currently tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 9th spot in the Western Conference. They have two games left against the Lakers, so their fate in that battle has yet to be decided. Looking up at both teams, in 11th place, are the San Antonio Spurs, who are the only other team realistically alive for the play-in after they vanquished the 12th place Blazers two nights ago to put themselves two games up on Portland and go up 2-0 in their season series (although the Blazers and Spurs play twice more this year, so perhaps we shouldn't count out Portland just yet, even if they are tanking).
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Both the Pels and Spurs will have eight games remaining after tonight. A win by New Orleans would not only give them a three-game edge in the standings, but it would tie the season series at two games apiece. Based on the next tiebreaker, the Pelicans would likely get in over San Antonio by virtue of their division record, which currently stands at 6-8 compared to 4-8 for the Spurs. A win by the home team tonight would push those marks to 7-8 and 4-9, so that would be all but a wrap.
So who has the edge? The Spurs are coming off that aforementioned win in the Pacific Northwest - a 37-point demolition, their largest margin of the season. Five days before that though, they experienced their worst defeat of the season at the hands of these very Pelicans. Making matters worse, the game was in San Antonio.
Here, the Spurs go on the road to try and save their season, which is quite a daunting thought given how their opponent has been playing. Even without Brandon Ingram for the last nine games, the Pels are 4-5 with a positive scoring margin overall. They've also covered four straight and just beat the Bulls by 17.
While Ingram's status is still uncertain for tonight, he's been upgraded to questionable and there is a real chance he plays. Even if he doesn't though, the Pelicans have already shown they have enough to take care of business against San Antonio. They effectively end the Spurs season tonight. Give the points at home.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs Pick
- Pelicans -6.5 (-105) (Bet $105 to Win $100)