Spurs vs Pelicans Odds & Predictions (Dec. 22)
By Quinn Allen in NBA Basketball
Published:
- The Spurs and Pelicans meet in a divisional matchup on Thursday night
- New Orleans has already beaten San Antonio twice this season
- Can they win a third? See the Spurs vs Pelicans prediction and odds
Thursday night brings a Southwest Division clash between two teams on opposite sides of the spectrum as the lowly San Antonio Spurs (10-20, 5-8 away) visit the New Orleans Pelicans (18-12, 12-4 home) in the Big Easy. The tip-off is scheduled for 8 PM ET at the Smoothie King Center. Find the Spurs vs Pelicans prediction below.
The Spurs are actually coming off a statement win over the Houston Rockets on Monday by a score of 124-105. The Pels on the other hand sit in third in the West but are losers of four in a row, falling to the Bucks most recently.
Spurs vs Pelicans Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Spurs | +7.5 (-110) | +275 | Ov 226 (-110) |
| New Orleans Pelicans | -7.5 (-110) | -330 | Un 226 (-110) |
Odds as of December 21st at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Pelicans are a 7.5-point favorite with steep moneyline odds of -330. They’ve covered in 50% of their games in 2022-23. The Spurs come back at +275 and own an ATS record of 13-17.
NOLA is already 2-0 against San Antonio this season, winning by an average of 18.5 points across the two meetings.
Spurs Rotation Showing Promise
The Spurs are in a rebuild and things aren’t expected to get better anytime soon. It’s a process. However, they really showed a lot of potential on Monday in Houston. Keldon Johnson, the team’s leading scorer with 21.1 PPG, missed this contest and will sit out here due to injury. Yet, Gregg Popovich’s squad balled out in a big way.
Not only did San Antonio beat the Rockets, they destroyed them. Everyone got in on the action, too. Devin Vassell continued his fine campaign with a game-high 26 points, while six other scorers finished in double figures. But, get this. The bench scored 62 points. All but one second unit player had a minimum of 10 points.
Final stats 📊
Dev: 26p | 5a | 4r
Doug: 16p | 4r | 2a
Malaki: 14p | 3a | 3r | 2s
Tre: 13p | 8a | 6r
Jeremy: 12p | 7r | 2a
Zach: 10p | 7r | 3a
Stanley: 10p | 3a |3r
KBD: 9p | 6r | 2a | 2s
Jak: 8p | 5r | 2b
Romeo: 6p | 3r pic.twitter.com/nJaNmNGUQJ— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 20, 2022
The Spurs were distributing the rock at an impressive rate, dishing out 30 assists. That resulted in countless clean looks from downtown, draining 50% of their triples. San Antonio also cooked Houston in transition, scoring 26 points on the fastbreak. The Rockets are in a similar position as the Spurs in terms of rebuilding, but this was a terrific team win.
Pels Without Zion
New Orleans is in a real rut at the moment and to make matters worse, Zion Williamson just entered COVID-19 protocols and won’t play Thursday. Brandon Ingram is still on the shelf with a toe injury as well, while defensive standout Larry Nance is questionable.
Despite the cold spell, however, the Pelicans are shaping up to be a dark horse in the West with a deep core. They rank top-six in offensive and defensive rating while sitting third in the Association with 117.3 PPG. That being said, the Bucks gave them the business Monday, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez combining for 72 points.
Zion Williamson (health and safety protocols) listed as out by #Pelicans for Thursday's home game vs. Spurs. @MorrisBartLLC injury report: https://t.co/E6qRpJUmxq pic.twitter.com/WcjTQjAyCR
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) December 21, 2022
For New Orleans, Jonas Valanciunas popped off for an insane 37 points, 18 boards, and five dimes. CJ McCollum also put up 31 and has been starting to find his scoring rhythm as of late. The Pels were outplayed in the paint and in transition, though. That proved to be the difference-maker. With no Zion here, CJ and Valanciunas need to step up, along with the likes of Herb Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Trey Murphy.
Spurs vs Pelicans Prediction
Missing Williamson is obviously a crushing blow, but the Pelicans are more than good enough to grab a convincing win against a team they’ve dominated in recent months. NOLA is also stellar at home. Take them to cover.
Pick: Pelicans -7.5 (-110)
Sports Writer
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
