Pelicans vs. Lakers Odds, Picks, Predictions: Can Los Angeles Earn Much-Needed Victory?

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The Lakers are set to host the Pelicans with LeBron James expected to return to the lineup. Read on for our Pelicans-Lakers NBA picks based on the best NBA odds.

Both the Lakers (26-32) and Pelicans (30-28) hope to earn a victory and gain some momentum ahead of the closing stretch of the regular season. New Orleans is currently the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, while Los Angeles is desperately fighting for a spot in the Play-In Tournament as the No. 13 seed.

Yet the Lakers enter Wednesday's matchup as a 3.5-point favorite, thanks largely to adding several new players prior to the trade deadline. Los Angeles is 1-1 with its new roster, but this will be the team's first game with LeBron James leading the show. James has missed the previous three contests since becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

Here&# 39;s our best Pelicans-Lakers NBA pick (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

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Pelicans vs. Lakers pick

It's been eight days since James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer with a 38-point performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. James only recorded three assists on that historic night, and now he'll revert back to being a facilitator.

He's averaging seven assists per game, which ranks 13th in the NBA in 2022-23. James has failed to clear this mark in back-to-back outings, including a 131-126 loss to the Pelicans when he notched six assists on Feb. 4. However, prior to that James had recorded seven-plus assists in five straight contests.

NumberFire only projects 6.7 assists for James, but this still feels like an advantageous line considering his assist prop is often set at 7.5. With new players being incorporated into the Lakers' roster, James will surely make a concerted effort to get his teammates some good looks.

This prop is priced as long as -135, so take the -130 offering at DraftKings. I'm uncertain about the Lakers covering as a 3.5-point favorite, but James' passing prowess will be on display in a must-win game.

Check out our NBA best best for Wednesday.

Pelicans vs. Lakers best odds

DraftKings	FanDuel	BetMGM	Caesars	PointsBet
6.5 assists	6.5 assists	6.5 assists	6.5 assists	6.5 assists
-130	-132	-135	-135	-130

This line is set at 6.5 across the board, so shopping around gives us a marginal advantage. Only DraftKings and PointsBet offer the Over on James' assists prop at -130 vig, though we'd play this as high as -135 anyway.

Go with DraftKings because you then get appealing same-game parlay options. DraftKings is offering a +140 price on eight-plus assists for James and a +240 offering for nine-plus dimes. That's certainly intriguing if you want to bet on a big passing performance from James.