The Kings vs Pelicans Odds Flip Thanks to Injury
Kings Represent Value for Play-In Spot vs Pelicans
The Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans play for their NBA playoff lives on Friday night at Smoothie King Center. The Kings vs Pelicans odds had the Kings at +2 upon opening but they are now the -1.5 favorites following the news of Zion Williamson’s injury.
This makes for an intriguing NBA play-in tournament game.
Kings vs Pelicans 
Records: Sacramento Kings (47-36), New Orleans Pelicans (49-34)
Day/Time:
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Streaming: TNT/truTV
Momentum with Sacramento
The Kings enter the must-win game with a win over the Golden State Warriors, and that’s the best form guide. They won 118-94 on Tuesday, and with no important injuries to report, they are the worthy favorites with the Kings vs Pelicans odds.
The NBA playoff standings get thrown out the window for the final play-in tournament game, and it’s now down to which team wants it more.
Playing a Pelicans team without Williamson makes the Kings the clear favorites, and we thought the lines would be around -3.5. Therefore, bettors get value with NBA finals odds for the visitors.
Playing on the road doesn’t make it easier, but the Kings have a fair 22-19 road record, so that’s not a massive negative. Our only concern is that their win over the Warriors came at home, but the Pelicans’ home record isn’t fantastic.
De’Aaron Fox could have a field day on the scoring front. Without Williamson, he could get to the paint and finish with many layups.
Pelicans Love Playing the Kings
The Pelicans went 5-0 against the Kings in the regular season, so that can’t be overlooked on the NBA schedule today. Only two of these five games were decided by less than 10 points, so the Pelicans weren’t tested. The final game was a 135-123 win on the road in April, but CJ McCollum had a big scoring night.
McCollum would need to play much better than he did when losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was terrible from the field, and the combination of Williamson’s hamstring injury and Brandon Ingram sitting on the sidelines didn’t help. We’re not sure what the coach was thinking. But Ingram should be fit and ready to produce the goods against the Kings.
The Kings vs Pelicans odds are respecting the home side because of their regular season dominance. And yet we can’t look past the injury to Williamson. That leaves a massive hole, and they could be deflated. Williamson had 40 points before leaving the Lakers game.
“He settled into the game. He just continued to attack. He found seams. He rebounded the ball. He played fast,” coach Willie Green said. “(If) we have him for a few more minutes, maybe we have a chance to pull this thing out.”
Getting only +1.5 without their best player is tough to get excited about, and that’s the conundrum facing bettors.
Kings to Exact Revenge
Losing every game to one team isn’t ideal, so the Kings should want to come out firing on all cylinders. We’re happy to take the -1.5 line for the Kings as we see it shifting. They could start around -3.5, especially as news filters of Williamson’s injury.
The Kings play better playoff basketball. We saw that against the Warriors. It could be a big scoring night for the visitors, so the team total of 108 points is worth including in NBA selections. The team total is lower than expected, but there are plenty of points in the Kings offense.
We are excited for this game as this is a “win or go home” game. It’s all about pressure, and although the Kings don’t have much playoff experience, they have more drive and determination than the Pelicans.
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