Pelicans vs. Lakers Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, March 4

The Los Angeles Lakers are now the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, as they won their sixth game in a row on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Even with Austin Reaves (calf) and Rui Hachimura (knee) out on Sunday, the Lakers still found a way to pick up a win behind their elite defense. Los Angeles is one of the top defenses in the league in defensive rating over its last 20 games.

Now, the Lakers are favored at home against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. The Pelicans are 5-5 straight up in their last 10 games, one of their best stretches of the 2024-25 season.

While New Orleans isn’t going to make the play-in tournament, it could be frisky as a road underdog in this matchup.

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

Pelicans vs. Lakers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Pelicans +8.5 (-110)
Lakers -8.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Pelicans: +280
Lakers: -355

Total

229 (Over -112/Under -108)

Pelicans vs. Lakers How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, March 4
Time: 10:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
How to Watch (TV): Spectrum Sportsnet, Bally Sports New Orleans
Pelicans record: 17-44
Lakers record: 38-21

Pelicans vs. Lakers Injury Reports

Pelicans Injury Report

Brandon Boston – questionable
Keion Brooks Jr. – out
Herb Jones – out
Dejounte Murray – out
Lester Quinones – out
Antonio Reeves – out

Lakers Injury Report

Luka Doncic – questionable
Rui Hachimura – out
Jordan Goodwin – out
Maxi Kleber – out
Austin Reaves – questionable
LeBron James – probable

Pelicans vs. Lakers Best NBA Prop Bets

New Orleans Pelicans Best NBA Prop Bet

Trey Murphy III OVER 9.5 Rebounds and Assists (-130)

Trey Murphy III is having a solid season for the Pelicans, but I think he’s undervalued in this market against Los Angeles.

Murphy is averaging 5.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game over his last 11 games, clearing this prop in eight of them. He’s coming off a six-rebound, six-assist game on Sunday, and he should have a big role in the offense again on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles Lakers Best NBA Prop Bet

Luka Doncic OVER 15.5 Rebounds and Assists (-105)

I’m buying Luka Doncic on Tuesday, and I shared why in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – earlier today:

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has fallen short of 15.5 rebounds and assists in back-to-back games, but he’s still averaging 9.5 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game since his minutes restriction was lifted.

Luka has cleared this prop line in four of those six games, and he’s picked up double-digit rebounds in all four of those contests. Now, he has a great matchup against a New Orleans Pelicans team that is 27th in the NBA in both opponent rebounds per game and opponent assists per game.

I expect Luka to stuff the stat sheet on Tuesday night.

Pelicans vs. Lakers Prediction and Pick

Over their last 15 games, the Lakers have the best defensive rating in the NBA, and they’ve actually fallen short of this total in seven consecutive games.

Now, they’re taking on a New Orleans team that has struggled defensively over this stretch (27th in defensive rating), but it is also just 25th in the league this season in offensive rating.

The Lakers have been playing at a slow tempo since the Luka Doncic trade, ranking 20th in the NBA in pace over their last 10 games, which sets up well for the UNDER. And, to the Lakers credit, they have a renewed resolve on the defensive end which has propelled their six-game winning streak.

While I don’t expect much defensive resistance from the pelicans, this total is a little too high for my liking on Tuesday. The UNDER has hit in 17 of the Lakers’ 30 home games in the 2024-25 season.

Pick: UNDER 229 (-108 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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