Pelicans vs. Nuggets Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for January 24 (Back a High-Scoring First Half in New Orleans)

Pelicans vs. Nuggets Game Info

• Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2023
• Time: 8:00 PM ET
• Venue: Smoothie King Center -- New Orleans, Louisiana
• Coverage: BSNO and ALT

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Tuesday with seven more games, including a battle between the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans. The Nuggets rank first in the Western Conference with a 33-14 record, while the Pelicans check in fourth with a 26-21 record. This should be a great game.

Denver saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end thanks to a 101-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Meanwhile, New Orleans has now dropped four games in a row following a 100-96 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday. Which Western Conference contender will win tonight?

Pelicans vs. Nuggets Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: NO: (-104) | DEN: (-112)
• Spread: NO: +1 (-112) | DEN: -1 (-108)
• Total: 230 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Nuggets enter this contest as slight road favorites on moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 8 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 230 points, which is above average compared to Tuesday's projected totals.

Pelicans vs Nuggets Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Pelicans	-1.5	-	-	231.5	-110	-110	-120	102

Pelicans vs. Nuggets Betting Trends

• The Pelicans have registered a 22-23-0 record against the spread this season.
• So far this year, the Nuggets have been installed as underdogs by a 1.5-point margin or more eight times and are 5-3 ATS in those contests.
• Games involving the Pelicans have hit the over 25 times out of 47 chances this season.
• Nuggets games this year have gone over the total in 23 of 47 opportunities (48.9%).
• Against the spread, New Orleans has performed better when playing at home, covering 12 times in 22 home games, and 10 times in 23 road games.
• Denver's winning percentage against the spread at home is .577 (15-10-1). Away, it is .476 (10-11-0).

Pelicans vs. Nuggets Prediction & Pick

This matchup is riddled with injuries. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram remain sidelined for the Pelicans, while Nikola Jokic is questionable to play on Tuesday with a hamstring injury. Role players will make a huge difference in this battle and I side with the depth of Denver's current roster right now.

Aaron Gordon is averaging 16.7 points per game and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is shooting 46.8% from three-point range. Their consistency is a big reason why the Nuggets rank first in offensive efficiency, fourth in average scoring margin (+4.4) and fifth in points per game (117.2) this season.

Denver is also 5-2 straight up in its last seven games against New Orleans, so give me the Nuggets.

Final Score Prediction: Pelicans: 116 | Nuggets: 119

Pelicans vs. Nuggets Best Bet

This matchup is too close to call, which makes avoiding the spread a smart move. Both Denver and New Orleans have a tendency to get off to hot starts this season. The Nuggets rank second in first half points per game (60.6), while the Pelicans rank eighth in first half points per home game (60.2).

Denver also allows the seventh-most first half points per away game (60.2). Overall, the first half total has hit the over in 12 of the Pelicans' 23 home games as well as in 14 of the Nuggets' 21 away games this season. Trust the role players on each side to keep stepping up with the notable stars injured.

Bet: First Half Total Points Over 118.5 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. 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.