The NBA action continues on Saturday, February 25, with a seven-game slate, and here you can take a look at the best Pelicans vs. Knicks betting pick and odds.
New Orleans is looking to avoid the third straight defeat when they visit New York at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are -3.5 favorites on FanDuel NY Sportsbook, while the total is set at 227 points. These inter-conference rivals will meet for the first time this season.
Pelicans to conclude their road trip in NYC
The New Orleans Pelicans (30-30, 28-32-0 ATS) went through their worst period of the campaign and responded to a ten-game losing skid with three wins in a row. However, the Pelicans returned to losing ways and suffered three defeats in the next four games. They opened a four-game road trip with a tight 103-100 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder but then lost to the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors. New Orleans will return home after this clash against the Knicks, but only for one game, after which the Pels will hit the road for a three-game spell.
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans in a 115-100 loss to the Raptors with a game-high 36 points and seven rebounds, but with six turnovers. C.J. McCollum added 23 points, game-high five assists, and four boards, Jonas Valanciunas posted a double-double of 12 points and team-high 12 rebounds, while Josh Richardson had 11 points and game-high three steals.
PF Zion Williamson (hamstring) and PF E.J. Liddell (knee) are out indefinitely. SF Dyson Daniels (ankle) is questionable to face New York on Saturday.
Knicks destroyed the Hawks in Atlanta
The New York Knicks (33-27, 31-26-3 ATS) are playing well lately; they won five of the previous six games, including each of the last three. The Knicks will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set as they meet the Washington Wizards on Friday. In the most recent W, the Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 122-101 on the road. New York kept Atlanta to 41.2% from the field and to just 19.2% from downtown (five three-pointers), while the Knicks made 14 on the other end. The visitors also dominated the boards (55-40).
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with a game-high 28 points, nine rebounds, team-high five assists, and five turnovers. Julius Randle recorded a double-double of 25 points and game-high 11 boards, R.J. Barrett contributed 17 points and five rebounds, while Immanuel Quickley and Josh hart combined for 27 points and nine boards.
G Evan Fournier (illness) will not play on Friday against Washington, and we can consider him doubtful to feature on Saturday against the Pelicans. C Mitchell Robinson (thumb) is questionable to play.
Trends:
New Orleans:
- 1-5 ATS in the last six road games
- 3-13 ATS in the last 16 Saturday games
- 7-19 ATS in the last 26 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
New York:
- 4-1-1 ATS in the last six games overall
- 3-1-1 ATS in the last five home games
- 20-7-2 ATS in the last 29 games playing without rest
New Orleans Pelicans vs. New York Knicks Pick
Even though the Knicks will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set, they are looking closer to getting the victory here. First of all, they are playing on Friday in the nation’s capital, which is a short trip, and second, the Knicks are playing well in this type of situation, when they don’t have a rest day between games. The Pels, on the other end, have been dreadful on the road recently; they lost 15 of the previous 19, while the Knicks won four of the last five at MSG. It’s going to be a tight one, though, because these rivals are quite similar when it comes to numbers on offense and defense. Still, I am backing the hosts to get an edge.
Pick: Take the Knicks at -1.5 (-133)
The Total
New York’s offense, although slightly less efficient than the Pelicans’ in terms of scoring per game (114.6), improved a lot recently. In the last three games, the Knicks scored at least 122 points, while New Orleans allowed 115+ in three of the previous four games. I am backing the hosts to score a minimum of 120 points here, and therefore, I expect a high-scoring affair. Over is 4-1 in the last five H2H meetings, while Over is 9-4 in the Knicks’ previous 13 home games vs. a team with a losing road record, while
Pick: Go Over 224.5 points (-133)
