Washington Wizards vs New Orleans Pelicans Picks and Predictions: Trey Murphy Keeps Running It Up, and Washington's Defense Is the Worst Possible Timing
The Washington Wizards (16-46), carrying a seven-game losing streak and a 5-24 road record that ranks among the league's worst, travel to Smoothie King Center to face the New Orleans Pelicans (20-44) on Sunday, March 8, tipping off at 7:00 PM ET. Trae Young suits up for just his second game as a Wizard, still shaking off ten weeks of rehab rust after logging 12 points and six assists on a 19-minute restriction in his Thursday debut against Utah. Anthony Davis (finger, season), Kyshawn George (elbow), Jamir Watkins (foot), D'Angelo Russell (non-injury related), Tristan Vukcevic (thigh), and Cam Whitmore (shoulder, season) all remain out for Washington. New Orleans returns home from a six-game road swing with Zion Williamson healthy after playing through his right ankle sprain in Friday's loss at Phoenix, and Trey Murphy III carrying a career-high 21.9 points per game and three straight outings at 21 or more. The Pelicans opened as 9.5-point home favorites, total sitting at 242.5, in what projects as a matchup between two bottom-ten defenses with a significant talent advantage sitting at home.
OC Staff - March 8, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
3 Minute ReadWashington Wizards vs New Orleans Pelicans Picks and Predictions: Trey Murphy Keeps Running It Up, and Washington's Defense Is the Worst Possible Timing
Wizards vs Pelicans Recent Performance
Washington's last win was February 20 against Indiana. Everything since has been a seven-game skid capped by a 122-112 loss to Utah at home Thursday, the same game that doubled as Young's long-awaited debut. Alex Sarr, who cleared the injury report this week alongside Young, averages 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds as the team's most reliable two-way piece, and figures to carry the biggest load again with the roster this thin. The road hasn't been kind all year: Washington is 5-24 away from Capital One Arena with a scoring average that gets further suppressed by travel and depleted rotations. Rookie Julian Reese grabbed 20 rebounds against Utah in just his third career NBA game, which is the kind of historical footnote that only makes the box score when a team is genuinely building the future rather than competing. Angel Reese's little brother is doing things in this league.
New Orleans closed their six-game road trip at 3-3, finishing with a tough 118-116 loss at Phoenix on Friday. Murphy III dropped 22 in that one, his fourth straight game at 21 or above, and the Pelicans are now 5-4 since the All-Star break headed into a stretch where six of their next seven games are at Smoothie King Center. Dejounte Murray has scored at least 13 in each of his five games since returning from his Achilles recovery, adding 6 assists per night in a role that's been seamlessly absorbed into the rotation. Williamson played through Friday's ankle issue and finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, the biggest rebounding game he's had since early February. Coming home, getting healthier, and with real offensive rhythm established, this is one of the more promising versions of this Pelicans group all season.
Wizards vs Pelicans Head to Head
New Orleans has won five straight against Washington. The most recent meeting, a January 10 game in D.C., ended 128-107 as a comfortable Pelicans road win. Murphy and Zion both scored and the Wizards had no real answer for the variety of looks New Orleans generates. The 2025-26 series has been one-sided throughout. Nothing in these matchups suggests Washington has the personnel to close the gap, and the injury picture makes it worse rather than better.
Washington Wizards vs New Orleans Pelicans Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: Monumental Sports Network, GCSEN, NBA League Pass
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Wizards vs Pelicans Odds
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Wizards vs Pelicans Team News
Washington's injury list is doing the most. Davis is done for the year after the finger injury, George is out with the elbow strain, Watkins is sidelined with his foot, Russell sits for non-injury reasons, and Vukcevic (thigh) plus Gill (illness) round out a list that removes six players before anyone tips off. Young and Sarr both cleared the injury report this weekend, which is the best news Washington has generated in a while. Young is still ramping up, and the second game of his return figures to land somewhere in the 22-28 minute range as he builds back toward his usual workload. Sarr absorbs the bulk of the offensive load alongside Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, and Reese in a short rotation that will feel the length by the fourth quarter.
Williamson played Friday in Phoenix without obvious limitation, finishing with 19 points and 10 boards, and his status shouldn't be a concern Sunday. Murphy is the story on this side: since the new year he's averaging 24.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.1 threes per game over 35.6 minutes, numbers that would put him in the All-Star conversation on a team people actually watched. He scored 21 against the Lakers on March 3, 23 against Sacramento on March 5, and 22 at Phoenix on March 7. Three straight 21-plus games going into a home matchup against Washington's porous defense. Saddiq Bey adds 17.4 points off the rotation, and Murray manages the offense at 15.4 points and 6 assists per night. New Orleans is clearly the healthier team and the one with actual offensive continuity.
Prediction: Pelicans 122, Wizards 107
New Orleans wins this comfortably, and the game is mostly decided by halftime. Murphy gets going early against a Washington perimeter that has no real answer for his off-ball movement and shooting volume. Zion works the interior without Davis there to contest, and the Pelicans' depth advantage widens as Washington's short rotation starts to drag in the third quarter. Young scores 14-18 points in his 22-25 minutes and looks increasingly sharp, Sarr gives Washington everything he has, and the Wizards stay competitive enough through three quarters before the final margin settles around 15 points. It's a win for New Orleans, and a clear one, but the final number is exactly why laying 9.5 points here is not the right bet.
Best Bet: Trey Murphy III Over 20.5 Points (-140) Click here to get the best odds at FanDuel Sportsbook
The spread at 9.5 is the trap. New Orleans is 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against Eastern Conference opponents, garbage-time margin compression has a tendency to eat these covers late, and two teams with nothing at stake in the standings rarely grind out fourth quarters. Fading that ATS pattern when the projected margin sits around 15 and the line asks for 9.5 is exactly the kind of bet that looks clean and costs you.
Murphy is the play. Without Davis protecting the paint, New Orleans gets cleaner angles on drives that kick out to exactly those corner threes and mid-range pull-ups Murphy thrives on. He fires 4.1 threes per night at 38.4%, averages 35.6 minutes since January, and has logged 21 points against the Lakers, 21 against Sacramento, and 22 at Phoenix in three straight outings. Washington ranks 29th in points allowed at 123 per game. The matchup and the trend are pointing the same direction, which is the only kind of prop worth backing. Pelicans bettors riding Murphy's form at home have real math behind the confidence.
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