The New Orleans Pelicans (5-20) hoped to take a big step forward after trading for Dejounte Murray over the offseason, but injuries have ravaged their roster so far in 2024-25. Murray broke his hand early in the season, Zion Williamson appeared in just six games before being sidelined for a lengthy period because of a hamstring strainn and Brandon Ingram is set to be out indefinitely with a serious ankle sprain. The Pelicans are dead last in the Western Conference standings and there’s been no indication that they’re close to turning things around. Here’s how you should approach betting on them for the remainder of the season.
Southwest Division Insights
The Pelicans are essentially a lock to finish dead last in one of the league's most competitive divisions. The Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs all have at least twice as many wins as New Orleans. The first three of the aforementioned teams are firmly in the playoff picture and rank among the top four in the Western Conference. New Orleans has +50000 odds to win the division at BetMGM and the chances of a comeback are so slim that it’s not even worth a small sprinkle.
Playoffs & Play-In Tournament Odds
New Orleans’ chances to make the Playoffs or Play-In Tournament are very slim. The Pelicans’ odds to make the Playoffs are +2500 while their odds to miss them are -10000 at BetMGM. Their odds to participate in the Play-In Tournament come in at +1400. New Orleans is significantly worse than every top-10 team in the Western Conference right now. Catching the Utah Jazz (5-18) might be possible, but Pelicans would have to pass up the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and Spurs after that. The win total market might open back up for the Pelicans at some point and that’s the only future bettors should be monitoring at this point in the season.
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