The Lakers have beaten the Pelicans all season by double digits plus on average. They just put on a clinic in their last game as the Lakers were great in transition as they took over the game, getting steals, shooting threes, shooting better in the paint and at the free throw line. LeBron approached the game aggressively and he should do it again in this one. The Pelicans are a young team and they are soft on defense. They don’t have the experience to dig down in this spot to beat the Lakers. Zion cannot challenge Anthony Davis who will still play in this game. The Lakers are in a position where they would rather win one more game and secure a spot in the playoffs. No team wants to be in the play-in, nor play an extra game in the play-in. Trying to play around with the possibility of losing the game to avoid Denver seems foolish. There is no guarantee they would make it past the Kings or the Warriors. LeBron cares about getting the franchise into the playoffs and they have too much pride to not take this game seriously. It may be a good thing for the Lakers to eventually play Denver now, as they would be healthy and not tired, and with the player changes they made this season, they could still challenge Denver. So by winning now, they avoid any potential fresh injuries by trying to play in another unnecessary play-in game with no guarantees, and the Lakers also get the extra time to rest up, which is a good thing for an older team. Take the Lakers to rise to the occasion and win again as they seem to have the Pelican’s number.

Best bet: take the Lakers on the moneyline (ML).