Pelicans vs Wizards Picks & Odds (Jan. 9)

• The Pelicans take on the Wizards Monday
• Washington is a 1.5-point favorite over New Orleans
• Keep reading for the Pelicans vs Wizards odds, preview, and prediction

Monday’s NBA slate begins in DC as the depleted New Orleans Pelicans (24-16, 7-11 away) will battle it out with the Washington Wizards (17-23, 10-7 home), with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 pm ET at Capital One Arena. Both teams are 6-4 in their last 10.

NOLA is currently losers of two straight, falling to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday by a score of 127-117. However, CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson, and Brandon Ingram were all unavailable. McCollum returns Monday but his co-stars are still sidelined with injuries. Washington is also looking end a two-game skid, most recently suffering a 127-110 defeat to the OKC Thunder on Friday.

Pelicans vs Wizards Odds

Odds as of January 8th at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Surprisingly, the Wizards are a 1.5-point favorite against the third-place Pels with moneyline odds of -115. The visitors sit at -105. While New Orleans has the superior record, they’re likely an underdog because of the 7-11 mark on the road.

This is the first meeting of the campaign between the two, splitting their season series in 2021-22.

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Zion’s Absence Being Felt

It’s been a fantastic season for the Pelicans. As one of the dark horses in the West, Willie Green’s squad is managing to sit in the top four of the Western Conference. That being said, the team was handed a massive blow on January 2nd when Williamson suffered a hamstring injury. With Ingram already sidelined, Zion’s absence is bad news. He’s expected to miss multiple weeks.

Well in three games since he went on the shelf, New Orleans has gone just 1-2. This is truly the time for the Pels to prove if they can stay afloat sans Williamson. To make matters worse, CJ didn’t play Saturday’s contest against Dallas and the shorthanded rotation struggled.

📊#Pelicans | @FDSportsbook pic.twitter.com/3Qeg4bTul4

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 8, 2023

Sure, there were some positives, including Naji Marshall’s 24 points and Jonas Valanciunas dropping 25, but NOLA shot an atrocious 17% from deep and allowed Luka Doncic and Co. to find early momentum. The Pelicans missing all nine of their triples in the opening period didn’t help, either. McCollum needs to lead the charge Monday and set an early example on both ends. After losing four of the last five, New Orleans must get back on track.

Wizards Also Missing Their Star

The Pelicans aren’t the only team missing their best player. Washington is without Bradley Beal, who sustained a hamstring injury recently. He’s out likely one more game, which means it’s up to Kyle Kuzma to step up and be the main option again. He did a good job of doing just that against Oklahoma City, but there wasn’t a lot of support.

Kuz posted an impressive stat line of 23 points, seven assists, and five rebounds while shooting 50% from the field. Daniel Gafford’s 15 points were the next best. One of the Wizards’ glaring issues in 2022-23 is shooting the trey and it proved to be a problem here, draining a mere 29% of their triples.

Perhaps the biggest problem however was the careless play. Washington committed a whopping 20 turnovers which the Thunder translated into 32 points. Difference-maker? I’d say so. Needless to say, Wes Unseld’s group has to clean it up, especially against a good team like the Pels.

Pelicans vs Wizards Pick

McCollum’s return will prove to be important. Plus, the likes of Jose Alvarado, Herb Jones, and Valanciunas, among others, are playing a terrific secondary role. New Orleans is totally worth a moneyline pick. They will get back on track.

Pick: Pelicans moneyline (-105)