Nets vs. Pelicans prediction: NBA odds, picks, best bets Monday

The Pelicans’ injuries keep piling up.

Zion Williamson has been ruled out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.

Jordan Hawkins (back), Herbert Jones (shoulder), CJ McCollum (adductor) and Dejounte Murray (hand) are also sidelined.

Trey Murphy III (hamstring) has targeted this game against the Nets to return, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Pelicans be cautious with him — especially given their injury situation.

The Pelicans have now dropped four consecutive games and will have to rely on Brandon Ingram and Murphy, if he can return, to keep them within striking distance in the West.

Nets vs. Pelicans odds

Meanwhile, the Nets have an eye-opening 4-6 record through their first 10 games despite having the lowest projected win total (19.5) before the start of the season.

So, can New Orleans find an unexpected win or will the Nets continue to be one of the most surprising teams this season?

With the way the Pelicans have been playing defense, there is no way I feel comfortable backing them.

The Pelicans have the worst defensive rating and defensive rebounding percentage in the league, allowing opponents to shoot 50 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point land.

Even worse has been the Pelicans’ interior play, as more than 15 points per game have outscored them in the paint.

Betting on the NBA?

Williamson has also been available for six of their games, likely even boosting those horrendous numbers.

I’ll fade the Pelicans here.

It wouldn’t shock me if they started the tanking process sooner rather than later.

THE PLAY: Nets -1.5 (-110, DraftKings)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Andrew Norton handicaps the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved a standout 14.1% ROI, cashing 60% of his NBA spread picks and leading Tallysight in its SportsIQ metric.