With two-thirds of the NBA playing on Tuesday, there’s plenty of action for hoops fans to follow. A late-window bout between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers sees two Western Conference clubs collide at 10:30 p.m. ET.
As New Orleans gears up for the home stretch of the season, they sit well outside play-in territory. Los Angeles, meanwhile, is looking to climb the standings in the playoff picture.
Below, we’ll break down our Pelicans vs. Lakers prediction and picks for Tuesday night’s game. Make your NBA picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Pelicans vs. Lakers Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Last season, the Pelicans went 21-61. With James Borrego taking over for Willie Green and stepping in as interim head coach, 19-43 New Orleans is just two wins away from matching that victory total.
The Lakers are attempting to follow up a 50-win regular season with another, although they’re just under pace with a .600 win clip. Under second-year head coach JJ Redick, L.A. is 36-24, good for the sixth seed out West.
Tuesday is the 82nd all-time regular-season bout between these two teams. The Lakers own a commanding 53-28 series lead, including eight straight triumphs dating back to 2023.
Pelicans vs. Lakers Spread, Over/Under
The Pelicans enter Tuesday’s game as 8.5-point road underdogs, returning a 3.84x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Lakers are home favorites with a 1.26x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 34 states.
- Spread: Los Angeles Lakers -8.5
- Over/Under: 242.5
- Game Winner Payout: Pelicans 3.84x | Lakers 1.26x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Pelicans vs. Lakers Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Pelicans vs. Lakers injury report for Tuesday, via NBA.com.
New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report
- PF Zion Williamson (ankle): Questionable
Los Angeles Lakers Injury Report
- N/A — no injuries submitted
Pelicans vs. Lakers Prediction on Spread
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Pelicans vs. Lakers prediction on spread for Tuesday, March 3 on PrizePicks.
- The Lakers are 13-7 against the spread as home favorites, the fourth-best mark in the NBA. The Pelicans are just 12-14 ATS as road underdogs.
- New Orleans’ offense puts up the second-most points in the paint per game at 57.2, but they rank fourth-worst in effective field goal percentage (52.6).
- Defensively, Borrego’s crew ranks 26th in eFG% (55.5) and 27th in scoring (120.4 PPG).
- No team shoots better on 2-pointers (59.3%) or overall (49.9%) than the Lakers.
- On the defensive end, Los Angeles cedes the 11th-fewest fastbreak PPG (14.9).
Pelicans vs. Lakers Picks for PrizePicks Today: 3/3/26
Here are three top Pelicans vs. Lakers picks to target for Tuesday, March 3 on PrizePicks. Player stat projections via PrizePicks are headlined by PF Zion Williamson, SF Trey Murphy, and PG Luka Doncic.
Pelicans PF Zion Williamson vs. Lakers Projection: 27.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Williamson produces 30.8 combined points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) each night.
- The former No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick is making a career-high 72.9% of his shots from 0-3 feet.
- Not counting his absence in 2021-22, this is the sixth straight campaign in which Williamson has logged a double-digit total rebounding percentage.
- Los Angeles’ defense ranks 22nd in assists per made field goal (0.644).
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Pelicans SF Trey Murphy vs. Lakers Projection: 21.5 Points
- On the season, Murphy averages 22.0 points per game. Since the start of this calendar year, that number is up to 24.5.
- Despite taking a career-high 16.3 shots on average, the fifth-year man’s 61.4 true shooting percentage is a new personal best.
- Via NBARAPM, Murphy’s shot usage ranks in the 81st percentile.
- No team surrenders more PPG to the SF position than the Lakers (26.89, according to FantasyPros).
Lakers PG Luka Doncic vs. Pelicans Projection: 47.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- In year No. 8, Doncic’s nightly PRA tally sits at an impressive 48.8.
- Leading the sport in 3-pointers made (3.7) and attempted (10.2) per game, The Don converts at a 36.0% clip.
- Per databallr, Doncic’s 19.3% defensive rebounding rate is a 100th-percentile figure.
- Doncic’s 37.5% usage rate is the highest in the sport, and his 42.1% assist clip is his best since 2023-24 on the Dallas Mavericks.
Make Pelicans vs. Lakers Picks on PrizePicks
Pelicans vs. Lakers picks aren’t the only avenue hoops fans have to getting in on the daily NBA action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 34 states.
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