Cross-conference foes with sky-high upside meet on Wednesday evening in Brooklyn. Barclays Center hosts a matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and the New Orleans Pelicans, and the game is the regular season opener for both sides. Brooklyn is keyed by an elite offense, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving drawing top billing. New Orleans aims to build on some postseason success in 2021-22, and Zion Williamson projects to return after a year-long absence.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET in Brooklyn. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Nets as 2.5-point home favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 231.5 in the latest Pelicans vs. Nets odds. Before you make any Nets vs. Pelicans picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four seasons. The model went a stunning 88-60 on all top-rated NBA picks last season, returning more than $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Pelicans vs. Nets, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Nets vs. Pelicans:
- Pelicans vs. Nets spread: Nets -2.5
- Pelicans vs. Nets over/under: 231.5 points
- Pelicans vs. Nets money line: Nets -135, Pelicans +115
- NO: The Pelicans were 22-23 against the spread in 2021-22 away games
- BKN: The Nets were 9-34-1 against the spread in 2021-22 home games
- Pelicans vs. Nets picks: See picks here
Why the Pelicans can cover
The Pelicans finished with only 36 wins last season, but New Orleans improved vastly after a slow start and pushed the 64-win Phoenix Suns to the brink in the playoffs. The Pelicans are led by a trio of high-end scorers in Ingram, Williamson, and CJ McCollum. Ingram and McCollum each averaged more than 22 points per game for the Pelicans last season, with Williamson coming back after putting up 27.0 points per game on 61.1% shooting during the 2020-21 campaign.
The Pelicans are elite on the glass, posting top-five marks in offensive rebound rate and defensive rebound rate, and New Orleans finished in the top 10 of the NBA in free throw attempts, free throw accuracy, and assist rate last season. On defense, the Pelicans are also prone to creating havoc, with the seventh-most steals (8.3 per game) in the NBA and a top-10 mark in turnovers created (14.2 per game) last season.
Why the Nets can cover
Brooklyn's offense is tremendously effective, but the team also has defensive strengths. The Nets added defensive help in the offseason with Royce O'Neal and the projected return of Ben Simmons, but Brooklyn also ranked in the top seven of the NBA in blocked shots (5.5 per game) and field goal percentage (45.2%) last season. Brooklyn also landed in the top third of the league in 2-point shooting and 3-point shooting allowed, with opponents generating fewer than 24 assists per game against the Nets.
On the other end, Durant and Irving lead a lineup that is difficult to stop. The Nets scored more than 1.13 points per possession in 2021-22, and Brooklyn was 36-19 when Durant suited up last season. Brooklyn was also a top-tier team in field goal shooting (47.5%) and free throw shooting (80.5%), and the Nets are also strongly above-average in producing assists (25.3 per game) and securing offensive rebounds (28.1% of available missed shots).
How to make Pelicans vs. Nets picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the point total, projecting 229 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's NBA picks here.
So who wins Pelicans vs. Nets? And which side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pelicans vs. Nets spread you need to jump on Wednesday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
