Kings vs. Pelicans Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Oct. 29

A pair of winless teams face off on Thursday night, as the Sacramento Kings hit the road to take on Derik Queen, Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.

New Orleans is coming off a loss to Denver on Wednesday night, and it may be short-handed on the back end of this back-to-back after starting center Yves Missi sat out the loss to the Nuggets.

Still, oddsmakers have set the Pelicans as favorites at home against a Kings team that has the worst net rating in the NBA through four games. The Kings were blown out on the road against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, and they are a team in flux with veterans Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis seemingly biding their time until the team decides to trade them.

Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. is the future for the Kings, and while he’s been given the keys, the lottery pick is shooting just 34.4 percent from the field and 20.6 percent from 3 in his first four NBA games.

Can he bounce back against a New Orleans team that is on the outside of the play-in conversation in the West this season?

Here’s a look at the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for this Western Conference showdown on Thursday night.

Kings vs. Pelicans Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Kings +5.5 (-105)
Pelicans -5.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Kings: +190
Pelicans: -230

Total

236.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Kings vs. Pelicans How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Oct. 29
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Smoothie King Center
How to Watch (TV): Gulf Coast Sports, NBC Sports California, NBA League Pass
Kings record: 0-4
Pelicans record: 0-4

Kings vs. Pelicans Injury Reports

Kings Injury Report

Dylan Cardwell – out
Keegan Murray – out
Sean Pedulla – out
Maxime Raynaud – out
Ben Simmons – out

Pelicans Injury Report

Not submitted yet

Kings vs. Pelicans Best NBA Prop Bets

Pelicans Best NBA Prop Bet

Domantas Sabonis OVER 13.5 Rebounds (-115)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m buying Sabonis in this battle between two 0-4 teams:

Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis is averaging an insane 16.5 rebounds per game this season, showing why he had won three consecutive rebounding titles before an injury-plagued 2025-26 season.

Sabonis has 18. 19, 15 and 14 boards in his four games, clearing this total in each of them. Now, he takes on the New Orleans Pelicans, who are playing the second night of a back-to-back after losing to Denver on Wednesday. The Pels didn’t have starting center Yves Missi in that game, forcing them to start veteran DeAndre Jordan. If that’s the case again on Thursday, it could propel Sabonis to a huge game on the boards.

The Pelicans are in the middle of the pack in rebounding numbers through their first four games, ranking 13th in rebound percentage and 16th in opponent rebounds per game.

However, Sabonis in a class of his own on the glass, averaging 25.5 rebound chances per game and coming down with 64.7 percent of them. For comparison, Moussa Diabate is second in the league in rebound chances per game (23.3) and he only comes down with 40.9 percent of those boards.

The best rebounder in the NBA when healthy, Sabonis has played over 33 minutes in every game this season and is locked in as a starter for the Kings. He’s a great bet to come near his season average on the glass on Thursday night.

Kings vs. Pelicans Prediction and Pick

The Pelicans have not played well in the 2026-27 season, ranking in the bottom half of the league in net rating (minus-5.2), but they have covered the spread twice in close games against Denver and Utah.

The Pelicans have a three-point loss to Indiana, a one-point loss to Utah and a six-point loss to Denver in overtime this season before last night's loss by double digits in a rematch with the Nuggets.

That’s a higher ceiling than the Kings, who have kept just one game within 10 points this season and have two losses by 25-plus on the road (against the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs).

The Kings are clearly going toward a youth movement around Acuff, but there are some secondary veterans that seem to be floating in no-man’s land on this team. The Kings have a minus-17.0 net rating in the 2026-27 season, so I have very little faith in them covering the spread on Thursday night.

Pick: Pelicans -5.5 (-115 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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