The New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks will meet for the second (and last) time in the 2023-24 NBA season this Wednesday in The Big Apple. Will the Pelicans snap their losing skid? Or, will the Knicks avenge their October loss to New Orleans?

Catch this game live on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 8:30 AM, Manila time

Away: New Orleans Pelicans (34-24/17-12 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

• CJ McCollum (Questionable)
• Brandon Ingram
• Herbert Jones
• Zion Williamson (Questionable)
• Jonas Valanciunas

The Pelicans will look to break out of as slump this Wednesday. They are coming off consecutive losses to the Miami Heat (106-95) and the Chicago Bulls (114-106) last Saturday and Monday, respectively. Both those losses took place in The Big Easy, so perhaps a change in scenery this time around would be a plus for the Pellies, who are 15-12-1 against the spread in road games this season, thus far. In addition to that, New Orleans is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games in New York, dating back to the 2013-14 NBA season.

CJ McCollum is deemed questionable at the moment for the Knicks game, but he did practice in full with the team this Tuesday, a sign that he is trending in the right direction. Zion Williamson is also questionable with a left foot issue. An absence from Williamson would be a painful development for New Orleans, though, they still got some weapons to capably fill the void in case. Brandon Ingram, who scored 26 points in the Pelicans’ 96-87 home win over the Knicks back in October, is second on the team with 21.4 points per game. Also worth noting is the fact that the Pelicans have a 63.6 percent cover rate (14-8-1) in games after a loss.

Home: New York Knicks (35-23/20-9 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

• Jalen Brunson
• Donte DiVincenzo
• Josh Hart
• Precious Achiuwa
• Isaiah Hartenstein

The Knicks haven’t looked right of late. They haven’t looked right over their last several games, having lost four games in a row heading into the All-Star Break. After a long rest, the Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers on the road (110-96) last Friday before getting crushed by the Boston Celtics (116-102) last Sunday. On Monday, they were helped by bad officiating in the clutch to avoid losing to the lowly Detroit Pistons, scoring a 113-111 win instead.

Whether they’re winning or losing, the one consistent factor for the Knicks is Jalen Brunson, who continues to be the biggest engine that drives New York’s engine. Over his last nine games, the former National Player of the Year has averaged 32.4 points, 7.7 assists, and 3.1 rebounds. 

The absences of Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and OG Anunoby have slowed down the Knicks, but they can still be a competitive bunch against the also-struggling Pelicans. It’s a bit unlikely the Knicks would shoot 36.7 percent from the field again–  just like in the previous meeting with the Pelicans — versus New Orleans this time around, as New York is shooting around 10 percent better this season than that. 

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: The Pelicans (-2.5) cover the spread.

Over/Under: The total (219.5) hits the Under.