Pelicans vs Kings Prediction, Odds, Pick Today | NBA Betting Preview (Thursday, April 11)

Here's everything you need to know about Pelicans vs. Kings on Thursday, April 11 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.

The Pelicans are 0.5 games up on the Suns for the sixth seed in the West and two games up on this Kings squad.

We should expect to see them play all of their players and play with urgency as they try to avoid the play-in tournament.

Offense has been a problem for this team since losing Brandon Ingram to injury. Over their last 10 games, the Pelicans rank just 16th in offensive rating and 19th in half-court offensive rating. For the season, they have a mediocre offensive rating of 115.4 with Ingram off the floor.

This should be a decent spot for them to improve offensively, as they've dominated this Kings defense this season. They’ve cleared 125 points in three of their four games against them and haven’t lost to them once.

Those games were all more than three months ago, but I suspect the size advantages to persist for the Pelicans as Zion Williamson and crew look to abuse this smaller Kings team.

The Kings are two games back from the sixth seed, and it now looks inevitable they'll be stuck in the play-in tournament. They need to win this game to avoid falling to the nine-seed.

Their offense has taken a hit since losing Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk to injury, but they’ve seen the emergence of Keon Ellis as a legitimate wing defender in their absences. Ellis is coming off a 26-point performance against the Thunder as he shot 8-of-15 from 3.

Ellis will have to continue his hot scoring as De'Aaron Fox deals with the Herb Jones matchup here.

The Kings will need role players to step up here if they want to produce consistent offense.

The Kings will have to figure out a way to get stops as well, as this Pelicans offense has dominated them in every matchup this season.

I have to roll with the Pelicans as underdogs here. The Pels have struggled mightily lately, but they've proven they have a major matchup advantage against the Kings.

Sacramento shot unbelievable from the floor in the first half against the Thunder on Tuesday, but it still managed to blow a 20-point halftime lead and ultimately lost by eight points.

I could see the Kings being demoralized after that defeat, and I expect the Pelicans to continue their dominance of the Kings tonight.

Pick: Pelicans +1