The New Orleans Pelicans (2-6) and San Antonio Spurs (6-2) will meet in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. EST at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The game will broadcast live on Gulf Coast Sports.
The Spurs are 11-point favorites over the Pelicans on the spread (Spurs -11), with the over/under set at 224.5 total points. San Antonio is a -575 favorite to win outright, while New Orleans is +410 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Pelicans vs. Spurs predictions and NBA picks for Saturday, November 8.
Pelicans vs. Spurs Picks, Prediction
Pelicans vs. Spurs Pick: Under 224.5 (-110)
My Pelicans vs Spurs best bet is on the under, with the best price currently available at bet365. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Pelicans vs Spurs Odds
| Pelicans Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11 -110 | 224.5 -110o / -110u | +410 |
| Spurs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11 -110 | 224.5 -110o / -110u | -575 |
Pelicans vs. Spurs Preview
The Pelicans are limping through a brutal start to 2025-26 without their star Zion Williamson, sidelined by a lingering left hamstring strain, while new addition Dejounte Murray (Achilles) won't return until January, and the supporting cast is thinning out fast.
Without Zion's interior dominance and Murray's playmaking, New Orleans loses its punch on both ends, with Jordan Poole (left quad) and Yves Missi (illness) also out tonight, forcing Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III to shoulder an unfair load against a rising Spurs squad.
So while their 2-6 record is frustrating, their output is even more alarming.
The Pelicans are the NBA's second-worst scoring team at 107.9 points per game, barely scraping by in a league that's only getting faster.
The Spurs aren't struggling at 6-2, but they're no offensive juggernaut either at 118.3 PPG, and their elite defense—allowing a league-low 109.6 PPG—has been the real story, especially at home where they're 4-0.
Still, New Orleans' porous backcourt could let San Antonio feast in transition.
The under at 224.5 is an angle that jumps off the board, given that the Pelicans' feeble offense ranks dead last in efficiency and well below the total, while the Spurs' stingy D caps most opponents.
Their season averages combined sit around 217, leaving plenty of cushion for the low-scoring affair.
This aligns with our Bet Labs recommendation to go with the under.
Pelicans vs. Spurs Prediction
This system identifies value on the Under in division games where the total drops despite the public leaning Over (40% or less of bets).
When the line reverses downward against heavy public action on the over, it signals sharp money recognizing overstated scoring potential.
Division familiarity breeds physical, grind-it-out contests with tighter defenses and fewer easy buckets, amplifying the edge.
The market frequently inflates totals based on casual optimism, but sharp action corrects the number lower, capitalizing on the inherent caution and lower-scoring nature of intra-division battles.
By fading the public and riding this reverse movement, the system exploits the predictive power of informed line shifts and the consistent underperformance of bloated totals in these matchups.
Best Bet: Under 224.5
Spurs vs Pelicans Betting Trends
