Pacers vs Pelicans Picks and Predictions: NOLA Serves Up Victory Over Visitors

Whatever star power the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans intended to bring to the table for tonight’s game will be sitting on the sideline, with both teams missing key contributors for this non-conference clash.

Indiana will be resting standout point guard Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) for the next 10 days while Pelicans star forward Brandon Ingram (ankle) is out of action, thinning out two rosters already dealing with significant ailments to important players. Oddsmakers have installed New Orleans as a 3-point NBA betting favorite tonight.

Here are our free NBA betting picks and predictions for Pacers at Pelicans – what’s left of them – on January 24.

Pacers vs Pelicans odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

New Orleans opened as a 1-point favorite at home Sunday night but have since climbed to -3. The total hit the board at 215 and has bounced between 214.5 and 215.5 over the past 12 hours.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Pacers vs Pelicans predictions

• Prediction: Pelicans -3 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 215.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Josh Hart double-double (+200)

Predictions made on 01/24/2022 at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Pacers vs Pelicans game info

• Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
• Date: Monday, January 24, 2022
• Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports New Orleans, Bally Sports Indiana

Pacers vs Pelicans betting preview

Injuries

Pacers: Malcolm Brogdon C (Out), Domantas Sabonis C (Out), Caris LeVert G (Questionable), T.J. McConnell G (Out), Myles Turner C (Out), T.J. Warren F (Out)
Pelicans: Brandon Ingram F (Out), Devonte' Graham G (Questionable), Didi Louzada G (Out), Zion Williamson F (Out)
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Under is 15-5 in Pacers’ last 20 road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Pacers vs. Pelicans.

Pacers vs Pelicans picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

With Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis out of action, the Pacers are without their top two scorers. And should Caris LeVert sit out with a calf ailment on top of Myles Turner’s latest stint on the injury report, Indiana could be missing almost 64% of its average scoring production Monday.

Things aren’t much better for the Pelicans, especially with Devonte' Graham limping into tonight with knee soreness and a question mark around his availability. However, New Orleans does dig in deep when playing at home, boasting an average scoring margin of just -0.3 compared to a nasty -7.6 on the road. 

That’s helped the Pels turn out a 13-8 against-the-spread record inside the Smoothie King Center, including covering in each of their last four as home chalk. 

The big mission for New Orleans will be winning the battle on the boards against the Pacers, as both teams rank Top 5 in rebound rate. Indiana, however, does come in short in more ways than one, with the injured Sabonis, Turner, and Brogdon normally leading the way on the glass. The Pacers are reliant on second-chance buckets, points in the paint, and offensive putbacks, and those won’t be there tonight.

The Pelicans are down Brandon Ingram’s efforts on the glass but still have bodies to battle on the boards and to secure those misses, which should be in surplus considering the offensive firepower out of uniform for both teams.

Prediction: Pelicans -3 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

Neither club is great defensively, ranked out among the bottom of the league in advanced rating. But with the usual scoring avenues closed and the Pelicans and Pacers sitting 20th and 23rd in offensive pace, respectively, the scoreboard won’t be humming Monday night.

Outside of points off putbacks, Indiana finds offensive success on handoffs and pick-and-roll but is missing key distributors. Sabonis going down is a massive wrench in this offense, as the versatile center is a pick-and-roll nightmare with his touch as well as slick passing abilities. We touched on the Pacers’ missing scoring punch, but Indiana will also have almost 16 assists off the table tonight – close to 20 if LeVert sits out. 

The Pelicans struggle against offenses that move the ball and make the extra pass – allowing 0.646 assists per field goal over their last three games – and rank as the worst pick-and-roll defense in the league. That won’t be of much concern in this one, though, as the Pacers’ pick-and-roll attack is busted beyond repair at the moment.

Prediction: Under 215.5 (-110)

Best bet

Pelicans shooting guard Josh Hart is set up for a good game tonight, given the state of the Pacers backcourt and with some of those big bodies missing around the rim. 

Hart is one of the better rebounding guards in the NBA, pulling down 7.5 boards per game so far this season. He’s upped that work on the glass over the past month, hauling in 8.5 rebounds while averaging 15 points an outing. The 6-foot-5 SG has three double-doubles in January and has come within one rebound of three more. 

With Brogdon out, he’s going to reserve some energy on the defensive end while also taking advantage of a shorter Pacers frontcourt missing twin towers in Sabonis and Turner. And with key scorers out, there should be plenty of rebounds up for grabs.

Pick: Josh Hart double-double (+200)

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