Best Pelicans Betting Lines 2023
The New Orleans Pelicans came on strong near the end of the 2021-22 regular season and snuck into the postseason with a stunning win over the Clippers in the play-in tournament. The Pels then went on to take two games from the Phoenix Suns in the first round before being eliminated.
What was most impressive about the way New Orleans performed in the playoffs was how they did it without franchise superstar Zion Williamson, who missed the entire season due to injury. Instead, it was top-tier showings from Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and fan favorites Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado.
Now that the Pelicans have Williamson back in the fold, should they be considered a legitimate contender to win the Western Conference? Or better yet, could they truly be a dark-horse NBA Finals contender?
Let’s take a closer look at the Pelicans betting odds for the 2022-23 NBA season.
Pelicans Futures Betting Odds
Note: All NBA gameday odds and lines are current as of Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. ET and courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. You can find more odds at these US betting sites. Be aware that these NBA futures odds may change as the season approaches.
- Win Total: Over 43.5 (-142) / Under 43.5 (+116)
- Make Playoffs: Yes (-205) / No (+164)
- Win Southwest Division (+350)
- Win Western Conference (+2400)
- Win 2023 NBA Finals (+5000)
🏀 to place any of these Pelicans futures bets at FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Pelicans NBA Finals Odds
Pelicans Win 2023 NBA Finals (+5000)
At (+5000) odds, there are worse bets you can make this season. Far worse.
I’m a believer in this Pelicans team. NBA champions might be a stretch — especially since we still haven’t seen Williamson on a basketball court since May of 2021 — but he’s got legitimate MVP potential, and the front office has done a fantastic job of putting precisely the right players around him.
What’s more, this team has built an identity as a scrappy, never-say-die squad since we last saw Williamson. That heart, combined with the supernatural talent that he brings to the floor, is enough to make me feel confident enough to put a small wager on this prop.
Pelicans Western Conference Odds
Pelicans Win Western Conference (+2400)
Much like the pick above, we’re getting some pretty tremendous value here at (+2400) odds for the Pelicans to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
At FanDuel, there are eight teams that have shorter odds to win the Western Conference Finals: the Warriors (+320), Clippers (+330), Suns (+430), Nuggets (+850), Grizzlies (+1000), Lakers (+1100), Mavericks (+1200), and Timberwolves (+1400).
I can make the case for about five of those teams to beat out the Pelicans in a series, but certainly not all of them. Because of that, I love the value we’re getting here on New Orleans.
Pelicans Southwest Division Odds
Pelicans Win Southwest Division (+350)
You already know how I’m feeling about this pick.
The Grizzlies (+105) and Mavericks (+145) are both favored over the Pelicans to win the division. I understand their placement — Memphis and Dallas are far more proven at this point — but in terms of talent, New Orleans is certainly on-par with each squad.
Dallas has Luka Doncić and Christian Wood. Memphis has Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. The Pelicans have Williamson and Ingram. Each team has a superstar leader and a star-caliber (or in New Orleans’ case, All-Star caliber) sidekick.
I understand that recent success plays a vital role here, but I would value these teams almost evenly across the board. And with that in mind, the Pelicans look like the best pick of the bunch at (+350) odds.
Pelicans Make Playoffs Odds
Pelicans Make the Playoffs (-205)
It’ll take a little bit of juice to make this one profitable, but it’s still worth your time and money to back the Pelicans to reach the playoffs. They snuck in as a 36-win team last season, and that was with Williamson spending the entire season on the sidelines.
This is a no-brainer. The Pels are making the playoffs.
Pelicans Win Total Bets 2023
Pelicans OVER 43.5 Wins (-142)
Does Zion Williamson add eight wins? How about a full season of CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram?
This team has the depth and top-level talent to push well above the 43.5 wins they’ve been given. This line has been set too low, and the oddsmakers know it.
Pelicans Prop Bets 2023
Zion Williamson Wins NBA MVP (+2500)
I really like Williamson as a potential MVP sleeper. The 22-year-old was an absolute force when we last saw him in 2020-21, posting averages of 27 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 33.2 minutes per game. Zion was also an absolute monster in the paint, converting an absurd 70.1% of his attempts at the rim.
Since then, Williamson has grown stronger and wiser, with another year of NBA conditioning and coaching under his belt. His new-and-improved frame suggests that this will be the best version we’ve seen of him to date, and considering he was already an All-Star talent, that’s saying a lot.
Should team success come with Williamson’s individual dominance — and I believe that it will — he’ll be on the shortlist of MVP candidates from the jump.
How to Bet Pelicans Moneylines
If you’re looking to bet Pelicans moneylines this season but you’re unsure where to start, you’ve come to the right place. Moneyline betting is as easy as it gets, and New Orleans should be on the right side of the win column more often than not this season.
The Pels figure to be favorites in a good majority of their games this season. When that’s the case, you’ll see a minus symbol next to their moneyline odds. For example, against the Rockets, they might have (-300) odds. This means that you’d need to wager $30 to win $10.
On the other hand, if New Orleans is playing Golden State, the Pels might have (+180) odds. You can tell that they’re an underdog in this matchup because of the plus symbol. Here, a $10 bet would net you $18.
The potential for profit is higher when you bet on underdogs, but keep in mind that favorites generally win games. It’s important to find a balance between the two.
- 2021-22 Pelicans Moneyline Record: 36-46
How to Bet Pelicans Spreads
Like moneylines, spread bets have to do with favorites and underdogs. However, each team gets the same (-110) odds, so the potential for profit is equal. This is possible because of the point spread, which is essentially the expected scoring margin of the game.
For example, against the Rockets, the Pelicans might be favored by 10.5 points. At a sportsbook, this would look something like this: Pelicans -10.5 (-110) vs Rockets +10.5 (-110).
For the Pelicans to cover the spread, they would need to win the game by more than 10.5 points. For the Rockets to cover, they would need to either win the game outright or lose by less than 10.5 points.
- 2021-22 Pelicans Against the Spread Record: 41-40-1
How to Bet Pelicans Over/Unders
Over/Under bets center on the projected scoring total of a game. Oddsmakers will set this before tip-off, and from there, you’ll need to decide whether the actual outcome of the game will come in above or below their projection.
For example, that Pelicans-Rockets matchup might have a projected total of 234.5 points. For the Over to hit, there would need to be 235+ points scored. For the Under, the maximum that could be scored is 234.
These bets can be fun to play with when you’re unsure who will win a game or there’s a key injury that could impact the scoring total.
- 2021-22 Pelicans Over/Under Record: 34-48
