NBA Play-In Tournament Betting Preview: Spurs vs. Pelicans Betting Picks

The NBA Playoffs are about to begin, but first, we have a play-in tournament to get through to determine the final playoff spots.

The San Antonio Spurs find themselves competing for the 8th seed in the Western Conference despite being 14 games under .500. If you’ve been following basketball for over the last two decades, you would know that’s very unspurslike.

The New Orleans Pelicans, on the other hand, are only slightly better than the Spurs record-wise but have seen a significant improvement in play over these last couple of months.

We should be in for an exciting NBA game! 

Betting Odds & Lines

betJACK has the point spread of this game at Pelicans -5. We also have the over/under at 224.5.

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Spurs Outlook

Dejounte Murray has broken out and become one of the best young players this league has to offer, as he’s averaging over 21 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds per game, becoming the first player since Michael Jordan to put up such averages in a season.

A huge reason why the Spurs didn’t completely bottom out this season was due to the play of Murray, as he gives the Spurs that next franchise player to build around after losing Kawhi Leonard in 2018.

Jakob Poeltl and Keldon Johnson have also found their niche in the Spurs’ offense, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists.

The Spurs are the furthest thing from a contender this season, but with Gregg Popovich still coaching, this team will play each and every possession extremely hard and won’t disrespect the game of basketball.

They’re going to move the ball, make the right defensive rotations, and communicate as a team out there on the floor. If they catch you being lazy, they’re going to capitalize.

Pelicans Outlook

CJ McCollum has been exactly what the doctor ordered for the Pelicans, as he’s averaging over 24 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting to go along with 5.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game since joining his new team.

Brandon Ingram has been struggling with a hamstring injury recently, but if he can get healthy enough, he’ll be a threat to score the basketball with his ability to shoot in the mid-range and get to the rim.

Jonas Valanciunas can also sneak in and put up a monster double-double on any given night, but where he can be most effective is when he gets to his position on the low block.

Pelicans Win

In years past, it’s been hard to count out Coach Pop when it comes to postseason games of any kind.

However, the Spurs more or less lucked out in getting here with the collapse of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Pelicans, meanwhile, have been making moves to better position themselves for a postseason run even without Zion Williamson.

CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram should be plenty for the Pelicans to help them power over the Spurs and cover the spread with their multitude of ways to create their own shots.