New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Clippers preview, prediction and picks

The New Orleans Pelicans aim for their third win in four games as they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, 10:30 PM, at Staples Center.

The Pelicans saw their two-game winning streak snapped by the Jazz on Saturday, 127-105. Still, New Orleans poses a real threat to Clippers after scoring two impressive wins against two legit playoff contenders

BetUS and other major US-based sports betting sites have pegged the Pelicans a +7-point underdogs to the Clippers. The total has remained sitting at 211 points with a few hours left before tip-off. These two teams are currently in the bottom 10 league-wide in terms of points scored per game.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Lines

ATS: Pelicans +7

Moneyline: Pelicans +240, Clippers -280

O/U: 211 points

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Clippers Team News

Jaxon Hayes has fallen out of the Pelicans rotation after losing his backup role at the center position to Willy Hernangomez. The athletic big man started the season as the first man off the bench whenever Jonas Valanciunas took a breather. Scott Kushner of NOLA.com opines that Hayes lost the minutes handed to him at training camp to Hernangomez, who had to grind his way for a significant role with the Pelicans.

Clippers head coach Ty Lue expresses his admiration for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, calling him one of his friends in coaching. Lue admitted it’s rare to form a strong bond with coaches, yet Kerr’s character as a genuinely good person makes it easy to befriend the rival coach. Lue and Kerr fought in the last three of four straight finals series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors for the more significant part of the previous decade. The first time the Cavs and the Dubs played in the finals, Lue served as assistant coach to David Blatt before taking over the head coaching job the following season.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Clippers Injury Report

Pelicans: Zion Williamson – OUT (Foot), Marcos Louzada Silva – OUT (Suspension), and Daulton Hommes – OUT (Fibula)

Clippers: Nicolas Batum – OUT (Illness), Kawhi Leonard – OUT (Knee), Jason Preston – Questionable (Foot).

New Orleans Pelicans vs Los Angeles Clippers Preview

On Saturday, the Pelicans came crashing back to earth after bowing out to the Utah Jazz by 22 points. Before the blowout loss, New Orleans pulled off upset wins against the Jazz and the Washington Wizards. Jonas Valanciunas was the only bright spot for the Pelicans, tallying 12 points and 12 rebounds in 22 minutes. New Orleans, which shot only 43 percent FG in the game, allowed Jazz to build a 37-23 lead at the end of the first quarter and never recovered from there.

The Clippers have been shaky post their seven-game winning streak. Los Angeles dropped five of their last eight games, including a 94-81 loss to the Pelicans last November 19. In the Clips’ latest game against the pace-setting Warriors, Paul George erupted for 30 points on 11-for-24 shooting, but his effort went for naught as Los Angeles fell to the Dubs, 105-90. The Clippers’ lack of scorers got exposed in the match with only Marcus Morris Sr. and Eric Bledsoe, aside from George, scoring in double-figures.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction

The Clippers will avenge their earlier loss to the Pelicans and cruise to an easy win at home. While the Pelicans appear to have the Clips numbers in the last three games (3-0), Tyrone Lue will make key adjustments to help his team win in this latest head-to-head encounter. Expect Paul George to do the heavy lifting for the Clippers, but he will get much-needed assistance from the likes of Reggie Jackson, Bledsoe, and Morris this time. Meanwhile, on the O/U section, the total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Clippers’ last 6 games at home. The Pels and Clips combined for only 175 points in their last meeting, which only indicates that their second matchup this season won’t be any far off in terms of scoring.