Clippers vs. Pelicans Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, March 19

For the second night in a row, the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans face off.

New Orleans won Wednesday’s matchup behind 25 points from Saddiq Bey and 23 points from Trey Murphy III, pushing the Clippers under .500 in the 2025-26 season. L.A. has now lost three in a row heading into Thursday’s matchup.

Kawhi Leonard (ankle) ended up playing in Wednesday’s game, which is a good sign for the Clippers moving forward. However, it’s possible they rest the two-time NBA Finals MVP on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Clippers have a chance to move up even higher in the Western Conference standings – they currently hold the No. 8 seed – but they’re set as underdogs in this rematch.

Neither of these teams have dominated against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back – New Orleans is 6-6 while L.A. is 6-7 – so how should we bet on this game?

Let’s dive into the odds, a player to consider in the prop market and my prediction for Thursday’s contest.

Clippers vs. Pelicans Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Clippers +1.5 (-108)
Pelicans -1.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Clippers: +105
Pelicans: -125

Total

231.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Clippers vs. Pelicans How to Watch

Date: Thursday, March 19
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Smoothie King Center
How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local)
Clippers record: 34-35
Pelicans record: 24-46

Clippers vs. Pelicans Injury Reports

Clippers Injury Report

Not submitted yet

Pelicans Injury Report

Not submitted yet

Clippers vs. Pelicans Best NBA Prop Bet

Clippers Best NBA Prop Bet

Kawhi Leonard OVER 2.5 3-Pointers (+116)

In today’s best NBA props column for SI Betting, I broke down why Leonard could have another solid shooting game on Thursday:

Kawhi Leonard’s status is up in the air on Thursday, even though he played through an ankle issue on Wednesday.

In three games against the New Orleans Pelicans this season, Leonard has made five, one and four 3-pointers, shooting 4-for-6 from deep on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Clippers star is averaging 2.6 made 3s per game while shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc in the 2025–26 season. This is an ideal matchup against a Pelicans team that allows 14.3 3-pointers per game (the third-most in the NBA).

I’ll back Kawhi at plus money to clear this line – if he plays – on Thursday.

Clippers vs. Pelicans Prediction and Pick

The Clippers are in the midst of a cold stretch, losing three winnable games in a row to fall to one game under .500.

Now, they’re underdogs against a Pelicans team that is 15th in the league in net rating over its last 15 games and 7-2 against the spread when favored at home.

The Pelicans have zero incentive to tank this season since they don’t own their first-round pick, while the Clippers could be short-handed with players like Garland and Leonard both nursing injuries late in the regular season.

L.A. actually has a worse net rating than the Pelicans over their last 10 games, and the Clips are five games under .500 on the road this season.

I’ll take the Pelicans to win outright as they continue a late-season surge.

Pick: Pelicans Moneyline (-125 at DraftKings)

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.

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