San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Best Bets

Before the San Antonio Spurs take on the New Orleans Pelicans, we have you covered with our three best bets.

For the fourth and final time tonight, the San Antonio Spurs will face off against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans have beaten the Spurs in all three of the matchups, and in the two games they went head to head, Zion Williamson has outscored Victor Wembanyama, although Wemby has done an excellent job of shutting down the paint.

The Spurs have lost two hard-fought games in a row, falling to the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets. The Pelicans, however, have lost three games in a row and now find themselves slated for a matchup with the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Feb 2, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones (33) drives to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Both teams have rather hefty injury reports. Charles Bassey, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Dom Barlow, and Cedi Osman are all out for the Spurs. Keldon Johnson remains questionable. Brandon Ingram and Jose Alvarado are out, and Williamson is questionable for New Orleans.

Keep it posted here for our three best bets, powered by SI Sportsbook.

The Lines

Point spread: Pelicans -11.5 (-118)/Spurs +11.5 (-110)

Money line: Pelicans (-800)/Spurs (+510)

Over/under: 219.5

Our Picks

Safe pick: Tre Jones OVER 7.5 assists (-110)

Tre Jones is averagng seven dimes over his last five games, and he recorded his third-ever triple-double in the last game. He only averaged five assists against the Pelicans, but in every game this season against New Orleans, he has recorded more assists than the last time, and he seems prone to finding Wembanyama down low or Julian Champagnie on the arc.

Opponent pick: Zion Williamson UNDER 27.5 points (-133)

Not the best value pick, but Williamson is only averaging 24.1 points over his last ten games. A gifted scorer to be sure, the Pelicans have taken advantage of his gravity and used him to set up shooters as of late, so he hasn't been scoring as much as he could. He is averaging 20 points against the Spurs this season and should be able to hit that average, but not blow it out of the water.

Team pick: Spurs to win (+510)

This game has classic Gregg Popovich masterclass written all over it. Longtime Spurs fans will know that when the Spurs are depleted due to injury, they often exceed expectations. There is the possibility that Popovich will get fed up, get himself ejected so he can go home early, and the Spurs manage to get fired up and win. This pick is a little reckless, but the value is there and the Pelicans have lost three straight, so expect them to be a little desperate.