Celtics vs. Pelicans Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Friday, Jan. 31

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics have a better road record (17-6) than home record (16-9) heading into Friday’s road date with the New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson.

New Orleans has lost four games in a row, keeping it in the No. 14 spot in the Western Conference. With this season all but over the Pelicans, oddsmakers have set them as a massive underdog at home against Boston.

The C’s have not looked great since around Christmas Day, and they’ve seen their gap on the No. 2 seed dwindle to just one game over the New York Knicks. With New York off tonight, the C’s could pick up half a game with a win over the Pelicans.

New Orleans is just 8-8-1 against the spread as a home underdog, but can it cover this double-digit spread at home?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market, and my prediction for Friday night.

Celtics vs. Pelicans Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Celtics -11 (-110)
Pelicans +11 (-110)

Moneyline

Celtics: -550
Pelicans: +410

Total

232.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Celtics vs. Pelicans How to Watch

Date: Friday, Jan. 31
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Smoothie King Center
How to Watch (TV): NBC Sports Boston, Bally Sports New Orleans
Celtics record: 33-15
Pelicans record: 12-36

Celtics vs. Pelicans Injury Reports

Celtics Injury Report

JD Davison – out
Sam Hauser – questionable
Anton Watson – out
Al Horford – probable
Baylor Scheierman – out

Pelicans Injury Report

Keion Brooks Jr. – out
Daniel Theis – doubtful
Jordan Hawkins – questionable
Dejounte Murray – probable
Brandon Ingram – out
Herb Jones – out
Antonio Reeves – out

Celtics vs. Pelicans Best NBA Prop Bets

Boston Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet

Jrue Holiday OVER 3.5 Rebounds (-135)

This is a great matchup for Boston on the glass, as the Pelicans rank just 28th in the NBA in opponent rebounds per game.

Jrue Holiday is my favorite target in a rebounding prop (set at 3.5) as he’s averaging nearly a full rebound more than his projection (4.4 per game).

In addition to that, Holiday has at least four boards in eight of his last 10 games, averaging 4.9 boards per game over that stretch. This is a terrific number to nab Jrue at on Friday.

New Orleans Pelicans Best NBA Prop Bet

Trey Murphy OVER 8.5 Rebounds and Assists (-115)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Trey Murphy III is a great bet in the prop market:

New Orleans Pelicans win Trey Murphy III is having a great 2024-25 season – despite his team’s struggles – averaging 21.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Murphy has really stuffed the stat sheet as of late, putting up at least nine rebounds and assists in 11 straight matchups – averaging 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game over that stretch.

He should have a big role at home against Boston on Friday, especially since Brandon Ingram remains out of the lineup and Jordan Hawkins is questionable. Murphy has only gone under this prop one time since Jan. 1.

Celtics vs. Pelicans Prediction and Pick

In addition to the Murphy pick, I also shared why Boston is worth a bet to cover the spread in this matchup – despite struggling recently as a double-digit favorite:

The Boston Celtics are 10-10-1 against the spread as a road favorite this season, but they’ve won those games at an extremely high rate, going 17-4 overall.

Now, Boston faces a New Orleans Pelicans team that is in the bottom five in the league in offensive, defensive and net rating. Not only that, but the Pelicans enter this game on a four-game losing streak.

New Orleans is 8-8-1 against the spread as a home underdog, but with Brandon Ingram still out, I am not sold on the Pelicans keeping pace with Boston. The C’s – despite a down stretch this month – still rank seventh in the NBA in net rating over their last 10 games.

Boston has also won three of its last four on the road in impressive fashion against the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.

Don’t be shocked if Boston runs away with this matchup on Friday night.

Pick: Celtics -11 (-110)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.