New Orleans faces Los Angeles on home losing streak
Los Angeles Lakers (46-35, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (49-32, sixth in the Western Conference)
New Orleans; Sunday, 3:30 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Lakers -11.5; over/under is 272.5
BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans plays Los Angeles looking to stop its four-game home slide.
The Pelicans are 30-21 in Western Conference games. New Orleans ranks ninth in the league with 33.6 defensive rebounds per game led by Jonas Valanciunas averaging 6.6.
The Lakers are 26-25 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is seventh in the NBA scoring 118.0 points per game while shooting 49.8%.
The Pelicans score 115.2 points per game, 2.4 fewer points than the 117.6 the Lakers give up. The Lakers are shooting 49.8% from the field, 3.5% higher than the 46.3% the Pelicans’ opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Pelicans won the last matchup 129-109 on Jan. 1. Brandon Ingram scored 26 points to help lead the Pelicans to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Valanciunas is averaging 12.3 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Pelicans. CJ McCollum is averaging 25.6 points over the last 10 games.
Anthony Davis is averaging 24.9 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.4 blocks for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura is averaging 17.5 points and 6.8 rebounds over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pelicans: 5-5, averaging 111.1 points, 40.4 rebounds, 25.8 assists, 9.6 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points per game.
Lakers: 7-3, averaging 119.9 points, 46.6 rebounds, 28.1 assists, 7.0 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.0 points.
INJURIES: Pelicans: Brandon Ingram: out (knee), Larry Nance Jr.: day to day (personal).
Lakers: Christian Wood: out (knee), Jarred Vanderbilt: out (foot), Jalen Hood-Schifino: out (back).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
By The Associated Press
