Knicks vs. Pelicans Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Monday, Dec. 29

The Knicks are looking to get to .500 on the road this season.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is a solid prop target on Monday. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are making a push for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they find themselves as road favorites on Monday night against the New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson.

After a terrible start to the season, the Pelicans have won five of their last 10 games, but a three-game losing streak has sent them back to last in the Western Conference standings.

So, the NBA Cup champion Knicks are major road favorites in this game after surviving a scare in Atlanta on Saturday where they nearly blew a double-digit lead in the second half. 

Jalen Brunson and company have not been nearly as good on the road (6-7) as they’ve been at home (15-2) this season. Does that open the door for New Orleans to at least cover?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for Monday’s interconference battle. 

Knicks vs. Pelicans Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Knicks -8.5 (-108)
• Pelicans +8.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Knicks: -360
• Pelicans: +285

Total

• 246.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Knicks vs. Pelicans How to Watch

• Date: Monday, Dec. 29
• Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Smoothie King Center
• How to Watch (TV): MSG, FanDuel Sports Network (Local)
• Knicks record: 22-9
• Pelicans record: 8-25

Knicks vs. Pelicans Injury Reports

Knicks Injury Report

• Josh Hart – out
• Miles McBride – questionable
• Mitchell Robinson – out
• Landry Shamet – out

Pelicans Injury Report

• Trey Alexander – probable
• Jose Alvarado – out
• Dejounte Murray – out
• Herb Jones – out
• Hunter Dickinson – out

Knicks vs. Pelicans Best NBA Prop Bets

Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jalen Brunson OVER 29.5 Points (-108)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m backing Brunson against the Pelicans: 

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is averaging 29.5 points per game this season while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from 3. 

On Monday, he takes on a New Orleans Pelicans team that is down both Jose Alvarado and Herb Jones (two of the team’s best defenders). The Pelicans rank 27th in the league in defensive rating, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Knicks’ offense has a big showing on Monday night.

Brunson has scored 30 or more points in 16 of his 28 games this season, and he’s taking a career-high 21.7 shots per game.

With Josh Hart out on Monday and Miles McBride questionable, the Knicks may need even more from Brunson to pick up a road win. New York has struggled on the road this season, so I wouldn’t be shocked if this ends up being a close game where Brunson takes a bunch of shots down the stretch. 

Knicks vs. Pelicans Prediction and Pick

The Knicks are the better team in this matchup, but they have really struggled on the road, going 6-7 overall and an NBA-worst 3-10 against the spread.

With multiple rotation players out for this game (Robinson, Hart, Shamet) and McBride questionable, I’m going to take the points with the Pelicans on Monday.

New Orleans is 12-7-1 against the spread at home this season, posting an average scoring margin of just -4.4 points in those games.

On top of that, the Pelicans have played better as of late, going 5-5 in their last 10 with a net rating of +0.0 (14th in the league during that stretch).

The Knicks probably win this game, but I’m not buying them to win by such a wide margin. 

Pick: Pelicans +8.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

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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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