The New Orleans Pelicans (25-47) and New York Knicks (47-25) will meet in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game will broadcast live on Gulf Coast Sports.
The Knicks are 8.5-point favorites over the Pelicans on the spread (Knicks -8.5), with the over/under set at 231.5 total points. New York is a -360 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while New Orleans is +285 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Pelicans vs. Knicks predictions and NBA picks for Tuesday, March 24.
Pelicans vs Knicks Prediction, Pick
- Pelicans vs Knicks picks: Pelicans +8.5 (-110), Under 231.5 (-108)
My Knicks vs. Pelicans best bets are on New Orleans to cover the spread and the game to stay Under 231.5 total points. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Pelicans vs Knicks Odds
| Pelicans Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -110 | 231.5 -112o / -108u | +285 |
| Knicks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -110 | 231.5 -112o / -108u | -360 |
Pelicans vs Knicks NBA Preview
The Knicks are cruising towards the playoffs, but the Pelicans have no reason to tank.
The Pelicans have actually been… winning games lately?! Meanwhile, the Knicks remain a rock-solid team with championship hopes.
With a double-digit spread listed for tonight's game, something’s gotta give!
I lean toward the Under here.
My in-season data adores the Pelicans in this spot because my metrics don’t really believe in the Knicks — but my composite power ratings (which adapts Pythagorean power rating, market ratings, and my preseason priors) think this is a Knicks win that stays Under the number.
The biggest factor pushing me toward the Pelicans is the recent performance.
This is a time of year where you want to get behind the teams that are playing differently than they did the rest of the year.
The Pelicans are 5-2 in their last seven games, and have actually been competitive lately. They are 8-3 ATS in the month of March, and they are second in spread differential in the past two weeks, while New York is 29th.
On top of that, the Pelicans have a rest advantage here, and they are actually third-best in the league this season with a rest advantage at 9-4 ATS.
Meanwhile, Knicks' head coach Mike Brown is 17-23 ATS with a rest advantage as a head coach since 2021.
Pelicans vs Knicks Predictions, Betting Analysis
Pelicans +8.5
The Pelicans’ defense has been trending up for months now; New Orleans is top-15 since January 20.
The Knicks have advantages in almost every category, and have been great at home (20-12 ATS as home favorites), while New Orleans is under .500 as a road underdog.
However, this is simply too many points. I’ll reluctantly take New Orleans to hang within the number tonight.
Under 231.5
I project this total near 228.
The Pelicans' defense has been better lately, and their offense stalls out on the road.
The Under is 16-13 when the Pelicans are road underdogs.
The Knicks’ perimeter attack will be slowed by the Pelicans' defenders, and while New York will smash the glass repeatedly, the Pelicans actually don’t score all that effectively on offensive rebound chances, scoring just 1.026 points per possession on OREB play attempts.
The Knicks rank 23rd in pace, and they will be happy to grind this one out.
Pelicans vs Knicks Best Bets
- Pelicans +8.5 (-110)
- Under 231.5 (-108)
