I’m going to take the Pelicans here, currently listed as 3-point home favourites. Both sides are on a b2b here, but the pels are at home and have the deeper roster.
Portland have been very impressive of late, winning and covering in 8 of their last 10. This type of success eventually leads to a premium in the betting market, which I believe we’re seeing here. They’ve got several key injuries, with Nurkic, McCollum, Collins, Giles, and Hood all out here.
This is in contrast to a relatively healthy New Orleans side, where only Steven Adams is an injury doubt. They have to do everything here to sell out on Dame Lillard – which they’ve got the defensive guards to do in Lonzo, Bledsoe, and Hart. Contain Dame and I’d expect Zion and Ingram to do enough on offense to get the win.
I only like Utah in this matchup if Kawhi is confirmed to be out. This likely won’t be known until just before tip-off, so keep your eyes peeled.
Assuming Kawhi is out here, the Clippers would be without their 3 best perimeter defenders. This just doesn’t bode well against Utah, where Mitchell and Clarkson have been filling it up of late. Mike Conley may also return for this one, which would provide a further boost.
Utah has been the best side in the NBA this season, going an impressive 23-5 straight up and 21-7 ATS. Despite this, only laying 1.5 against an injured Clippers side doesn’t seem like a huge premium. They should be well up for this one and I’d expect their guards to ultimately get the job done and cover the spread.