Pelicans vs Lakers Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds, Picks & Predictions
Both Teams Desperately Need Wins for Postseason Seeding
Future Play-In Preview
The Los Angeles Lakers will battle the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, with both teams looking to solidify places in the play-in tournament. Los Angeles recently fell behind the San Antonio Spurs and needs a win to make it back up into 10th place in the Western Conference. The Pelicans are stuck in ninth place, two games again of the Spurs.
Let’s check the latest NBA Picks, stats, injury reports, and NBA Odds for Pelicans vs Lakers. We’ve plenty of NBA Predictions.

Los Angeles ‘Lake-No’
The “Lake-Show” has mostly been the “Lake-No” this season. Granted, they could be getting a slight boost from the impending return of big man Anthony Davis, but the season appears to be too far gone to save at this point.
Los Angeles Lakers has also been one of the worst teams in NBA spreads, which was on full display in Thursday night’s 122-109 loss to the Utah Jazz. They have a timid offense and play little to no defense, so even with Davis and LeBron James eventually returning to the lineup, the Lakers do not have the proper supporting cast to mount a challenge for the Western Conference title.
The Lakers also just choked a 20-point halftime lead to their upcoming opponent on Sunday, which prompted some harsh criticism from LeBron afterward.
“Blowing a lead like that in such a game feels like (expletive),” said James. “It feels like another wasted opportunity, obviously for myself and for our team.”
Pelicans Turnaround
The New Orleans Pelicans have hung right around the middle as far as against-the-spread results and have been improving as of late. They have won three of their last four games, including the 20-point halftime turnaround against this same Lakers team a few days ago.
Most betting previews have New Orleans as a 2½-point favorite heading into the contest, although the sportsbooks odds could shift if Davis does end up making his return.
The Pelicans have two bona-fide closers in Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum to help get the game over the line. If it ends up being close, and with the Lakers’ shambolic defense, this could prove to be a big factor in Friday night’s bout.
Pelicans vs Lakers Head-to-Head
New Orleans was a four-point favorite when the two met earlier this week and ultimately doubled down on the odds by winning by eight. They also thumped the Lakers by 28 points near the end of February despite being 2.5-point underdogs.
Pelicans vs Lakers Game Information
- Game: Pelicans (33-43) vs Lakers (31-45)
- Location: Crypto.com Arena
- Day/Time: Friday, April 1st. 10:30 p.m. ET
- Pelicans vs Lakers Live Stream: NBA Game Pass
Pelicans vs Lakers Betting Lines
Pelicans vs Lakers Prediction
The Lakers have been nothing short of a disappointment for fans and bettors alike. Even without James or Davis, they still have players like Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk leading their line, although it has not made a difference thus far.
New Orleans is not the best opponent out there, but the Pelicans have nice motion in their offense, multiple isolation scorers and a brute in Jonas Valanciunas on the block for which the Lakers have no sustainable defensive cover.
Those looking to bet online will want to favor the Pelicans in this matchup, barring the return of Davis. If there is any sort of hope for the purple and gold, it stems from the fact that they are 20-18 at home, but even that should not be enough to overrule the precedent within this matchup and recent poor performances.
Pick: New Orleans Pelicans -2½
