Pelicans vs Nets Picks and Predictions: No Shortage of Offense in Star-Studded Showdown

After a two-game appetizer on Tuesday evening, the real NBA season begins Wednesday, October 19, with an epic 12-game slate.

Perhaps the most intriguing matchup on the board is between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Brooklyn Nets, featuring the much-anticipated regular season returns of Zion Williamson and Ben Simmons. The Nets are one of the most talented teams I can recall that almost nobody believes in. They’ll have a chance to make their case against a dynamic Pelicans team that showed real promise down the stretch.

Pelicans vs. Nets promises to be an exciting, offense-first affair, and our NBA picks and predictions like one particular special featuring two of the league's top shooting guards.

Pelicans vs Nets best odds

Pelicans vs Nets picks and predictions

These are potentially two of the best offenses in the NBA this season, in no small part due to the contributions of Kyrie Irving and CJ McCollum. Both are traditional shooting guards, but they also have enough juice to generate their own shots against the stiffest of defenses. 

These are both teams that will aim to win on offense and will try to cobble together respectable defenses with the limited resources they have. Go through the lineups on both sides, and there aren’t many elite (or even average) defenders you can count on for big minutes. Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado meet the mark for the Pels, and Ben Simmons is the only player I feel comfortable putting in that category for the Nets (honorable mention for Royce O'Neale, who I was not overly impressed with in the playoffs last year).

Kyrie might be an enigma off the court, but between the lines, he’s one of the most reliable bets on the board. In the 29 games he played last season, Irving put up 27.4 points per game on just shy of 60% true shooting, including a 60-point game. While some conversations about Kyrie’s skill level can border on the absurd, he’s undeniably one of the best ballhandlers in league history, with one of the best contemporary finishing packages to boot. The fact that his jumper seems to be improving as he matures only further cements his offensive dominance.

Alvarado is the best chance the Pels have to slow down Kyrie, but it remains to be seen how much playing time he’ll see now that this New Orleans team is at full strength. The Nets are also missing Joe Harris and Seth Curry for Wednesday’s action, which means that the primary beneficiary of Simmons' passing outside of Kevin Durant will be Kyrie. In simplest terms, more shots mean more points.

McCollum is a similarly reliable bucket on offense, with one of (if not the best) shooting forms in the world. McCollum also has an argument for the best player in the NBA never to make an All-Star team, and in the 26 games following his trade to the Pelicans last season, he averaged 24.3 ppg on 58% TS. This Pels' offense has more mouths to feed now with Zion’s return, but New Orleans didn’t just throw McCollum a massive extension for him to be anything less than a Top 3 offensive option on any given night.

With Ben Simmons likely to be covering Zion and perhaps Brandon Ingram in small doses, CJ is set up to be the pressure release valve for much of the Pelicans' scoring in their season opener.

The combination of their undeniable skills, opportunity, and both teams' lackluster defenses make this my favorite bet on the board.

My best bet: Kyrie Irving and CJ McCollum to both score 20+ points (+125 at Betway)

Pelicans vs Nets spread analysis

As another game that’s been on the docket since the NBA schedule was announced in August, this line has seen some massive shifts from Nets -1 to as high as -4.5 (now down to -3.5 at most books). That line movement, of course, is largely the result of Durant’s ultimately unanswered trade request.

I don't love the spread for either side, as there remain massive questions for both these teams. As ESPN's Zach Lowe is so fond of saying, on paper, this Nets team should be an offensive force, and Simmons seemingly plugs many of the holes in the rebounding, defense, and playmaking departments that sunk them last year. They also comfortably handled the Minnesota Timberwolves in the preseason, who figure to have a much better defense than the Pelicans can muster.

But the disaster potential remains perilously high, and the personalities seem destined for turmoil. The Pelicans have at least as many questions. Zion is an undeniable force, but his return also disrupts the offensive hierarchy for New Orleans in a way that might quickly erode the positive vibes earned by last season's strong finish. They have a lot of players who are best as on-ball threats, and their best players have not been quality defenders in their careers to date.

Until I see what these two teams look like in live action, I’m staying away from this line.

Pelicans vs Nets Over/Under analysis

The uncertainty surrounding Durant’s playing status also contributed to this line’s trajectory from 226.5, to where it’s now landed at 230.5 at most books. It’s a massive line for the first game of the season, but an understandable one when you look at the array of talent on both squads.

Even with Irving missing most of last season, Harris missing all of it, James Harden pouting his way off the team, and Durant also missing time, this Nets team was still the 8th best offense in the league. This team, by talent and fit, should be a no doubt Top 5 offense.

Meanwhile, New Orleans has a steeper cliff to climb, as they ranked in or close to the Bottom 10 on both sides of the ball. The defense should remain an issue, but conversely, I’m confident in their offensive talent level. The fit, however, is not so clean, with many ball-dominant focused players as well as ones who like to operate in the same spots of the court like Zion and center Jonas Valanciunas.

Brooklyn should prove a good matchup for the Pels, as outside of Simmons, the team is basically small at every other position. Zion and Valanciunas should absolutely bully the Nets around the basket and should allow them to still score effectively, even as they figure out how to share the court together.

Pelicans vs Nets betting trend to know

The Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Brooklyn. Find more NBA betting trends for Pelicans vs. Nets.

Pelicans vs Nets game info

Pelicans vs Nets key injuries

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