Pelicans vs Knicks Odds and Predictions

• The New Orleans Pelicans travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks on January 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Both teams will look to bounce back after losing their last two games
• Continue reading for odds, analysis and a pick for this game

The New York Knicks (22-23) host the New Orleans Pelicans (16-28) on January 20 at 7:30pm ET.

Both teams are coming off two-game losing streaks, with the Knicks falling just below .500 and the Pelicans 12 games away from breaking even.  Things get even more bleak for the Pelicans when we look at their home/away splits.

The Pelicans are just 6-17 on the road, while the Knicks are 11-13 at home.

The Knicks opened as 2.5-point favorites, and it’s a chance for you to make a wager through New York sports betting, which was recently launched in the state.

Pelicans vs Knicks Odds

Odds as of January 19 via Barstool Sportsbook

The Knicks are still firmly within the playoff race, while the Pelicans are rapidly falling into the draft lottery race to the bottom. Tom Thibodeau’s team is going to be motivated to get back to .500 in front of their home crowd against a relatively weak opponent.

New Orleans Pelicans Outlook

The Pelicans saw their season get off to a rough start when Zion Williamson was ruled out indefinitely at the beginning of the year. This loss set the team back significantly, and they have not yet fully recovered.

"There's not a return to play timetable & Zion Williamson is away from the team rehabbing his fractured foot in Portland" ~@ShamsCharania#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/ugmX1ZNGvH

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 13, 2022

Nickeil Alexander-Walker has shown flashes, although he has been inconsistent and is not putting up eye-popping numbers. Alexander-Walker is currently averaging 12.6 points per game, although he is only shooting 37.1% from the field and 31.3% from deep.

Brandon Ingram is having another excellent year, putting up averages of 22.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. Ingram’s efficiency could be a little bit better, as he is only shooting 44.3% from the field and 34.1% from long range.

However, the Pelicans will need to live with the lower efficiency because Ingram is providing one of their only sources of consistent scoring, and the team lacks almost any other firepower.

BRANDON. INGRAM. GAME. 😱

Pelicans (+120 ML) get the W 128-125.

(via @PelicansNBA)pic.twitter.com/ZxJRX8kZFK

— Pickswise (@Pickswise) January 12, 2022

New Orleans has defeated some quality opponents this year, but they have also been extremely inconsistent, and are nowhere near as good as those performances indicate.

This Pelicans team is at least two or three pieces away from real contention, and the team’s lack of firepower shows in their record. Their youth also shows in their road troubles this season.

New York Knicks Outlook

The Knicks have disappointed this year compared to their preseason expectations.

Having made a splash when they added Kemba Walker, the Knicks entered this season with hopes of bringing a title home to New York City for the first time in decades. However, this season has not gone at all according to that plan.

K 3️⃣ M B A pic.twitter.com/HJk41IAz9M

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 19, 2022

The team has struggled at both ends of the court, with Walker being taken out of the rotation at one point due to his lack of consistent offensive contributions and his poor defense. Julius Randle has also had a disappointing season after breaking out last year.

RJ Barrett & Julius Randle combined for 50 PTS in the @nyknicks victory!

🏀 @RjBarrett6: 26 PTS, 5 REB
🏀 @J30_RANDLE: 24 PTS, 6 REB, 9 AST pic.twitter.com/BBR0OIf49f

— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2022

Randle is averaging 22.7 points, down from 23.8 last year, although his efficiency has fallen as well.  Randle’s field goal percentage dropped from 46.6% to 44.3%, his three-point shooting percentage dropped from 38.1% to 34.1%, and his free throw shooting percentage dropped from 87.8% to 82.1%.

R.J. Barrett has also seen his counting stats and efficiency drop. Barrett’s scoring has dropped from 17.6 to 16.9 points per game, his field-goal shooting has gone from 44.1% to 41.5%, his three-point shooting has dropped from 40.1% to 35.4%,  He’s dipped from 74.6% to 69% at the free-throw line.

Pelicans vs Knicks Prediction

Brandon Ingram is the key to the game for the Pelicans.  Ingram probably tries to do too much at times, but on this roster he doesn’t have much of a choice. The Pelicans need a strong performance from Ingram to even have a chance in this contest.

The Knicks will also need to have showings from key players, particularly Randle and Barrett, that mirror their performances from last season rather than this season.

In a matchup where both teams have struggled of late and both teams will rely on key players to have big games, I like Ingram in this matchup. However, the Knicks have three key players to the Pelicans’ one key player, and the Pelicans have been dismal on the road.

The pick: New York Knicks moneyline -140 (1u)