Pelicans vs. Nuggets Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 30 (New Orleans Doesn't Go Down Without a Fight)

The Denver Nuggets (51-24) push for their fifth straight victory when they host the New Orleans Pelicans (38-38) at Ball Arena on Thursday, March 30.

Pelicans vs Nuggets Game Info

• Date: Thursday, March 30, 2023
• Time: 10 PM ET
• Venue: Ball Arena -- Denver, Colorado
• Coverage: TNT

The Nuggets' winning ways continued with a 116-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers as Nikola Jokic led the way with his 29th triple-double of the 2022-23 NBA season. Meanwhile, the Pelicans are coming off a 120-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors, which ended the former's winning streak at five games.

Which side will walk out with the victory tonight?

Pelicans vs Nuggets Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: NOP: (+210) | DEN: (-255)
• Spread: NOP: +6.5 (-112) | DEN: -6.5 (-108)
• Total: 227 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Nuggets enter this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 227 points with -110 odds on both sides.

Pelicans vs Nuggets Betting Trends

• New Orleans is 5-1 straight up in its last six games.
• Denver is 17-3 straight up in its last 20 home games.
• New Orleans is 6-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last eight games against Denver.
• Denver is 4-1 ATS in its last five games on a Thursday.
• The total has hit the under in six of New Orleans' last seven games.
• The total has hit the under in each of Denver's last six games.

Pelicans vs Nuggets Prediction & Pick

The Nuggets head into tonight's action with Nikola Jokic's playing status up in the air. The Serbian superstar is questionable with a calf injury and with the playoffs right around the corner, it wouldn't be shocking if the NBA MVP contender sits. Unfortunately for Denver fans, their team is 4-11 straight up in the last 15 games that Jokic has missed.

While the Nuggets are the better team on paper, it has scored fewer than 100 points in five of the last seven games that Jokic has missed. Meanwhile, the Pelicans' offense has been strong, finishing with 124-plus points in two of the last three games.

I still think that the Nuggets' defense is strong enough to win, however, I won't be surprised if the Pelicans pull off the upset in the end.

Final Score Prediction: Nuggets: 115 | Hornets: 110

Pelicans vs Nuggets Best Bet

Again, I see the Pelicans keeping things closer than the 6.5-point spread implies. After all, they're covered in five of their last six outings and are 6-2 ATS in eight previous trips to Ball Arena. Although the Nuggets are a solid 4-2 ATS in their last six games, Jokic being out (or not at 100% if he does play) will make covering tougher.

Stick with the Pelicans on the spread tonight.

Bet: Pelicans +6.5 (-112)

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.