The New Orleans Pelicans (25-29) will play host to the New York Knicks (28-27) — a contest between two teams who desperately need to make up some ground ahead of the playoffs. The Knicks are just 1.5 games behind the sixth-place Heat, and a guaranteed spot in the postseason. The Pelicans are fighting to at least get a spot in the play-in tournament, but they’re a full game behind the 10th-place Warriors and will need to get some wins under their belt to gain some ground. Both teams are riding a three-game winning streak, but one of them will come to an end tonight.
New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 8:00 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Pelicans -3
The Pels have all the ingredients to make a solid run heading into the playoffs. Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Steven Adams, and Eric Bledsoe are all healthy and good to go despite missing a few other key players. Lonzo Ball (hip) has already missed three games in a row and is still questionable ahead of tonight’s contest, but New Orleans won all three of those games so the Pels can clearly get it done without him. They’ll also be without Josh Hart (thumb) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (ankle) while James Johnson (wrist) is questionable. Despite all that, the Pelicans’ starting lineup should still be relatively solid.
Williamson has scored 30-plus points in four of his last five games while Ingram has added a good amount as well, logging 34 points in their most recent win over the Sacramento Kings. The Pelicans have proven they can still play at a high level even while missing some key players, and it couldn’t come at a better time as they head toward playoffs.
Player Prop: Zion Williamson O29.5 points (-113)
As mentioned earlier, Williamson has scored 30 or higher in four of his last five games and there’s no reason to think tonight will be any different. He’s shot 59.4 percent through his last five games, with an impressive 16-for-22 from the field in their win over the Cavaliers on Sunday.
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