Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans Picks and Prediction for Friday, November 14, 2025
Group play in the NBA Cup is back in action tonight with the New Orleans Pelicans (2-9) hosting the Los Angeles Lakers (8-4) on Friday night. The Lakers have recently dominated this series head-to-head.
The Lakers are 8-4 against the spread this season, and New Orleans is 5-5-1.
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Strong start without LeBron
The Lakers have been without LeBron James all season, although he should be returning soon. Even without him, the current roster has performed well, and Los Angeles is off to a strong start.
The Lakers are coming off an ugly 112-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On the season, Luka Doncic is averaging 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.9 assists, which probably put added pressure on the Dallas Mavericks organization to recently fire Nico Harrison for trading him away for Anthony Davis last season. Austin Reeves also looks to be off to what could be a career season, averaging 28.3 points and 8.3 assists.
The Lakers' record is better than the early advanced metrics suggest. Los Angeles ranks 21st in defensive rating and 14th in offensive rating.
Key Injuries for Lakers:
- F LeBron James (back) is getting close to returning, but is still out.
No Zion, no surprise
The New Orleans Pelicans enter this game on a three-game losing streak after falling to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night (125-117). Zion Williamson is out again with a hamstring issue, and Jordan Poole is sidelined with a quadriceps strain. Dejounte Murray is also out with an Achilles injury.
As a team, the Pelicans rank 25th in offensive rating and 28th in defensive rating. Amongst the active Pelicans expected to suit up, Trey Murphy III leads the team with 18.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
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Key Injuries for Pelicans:
- F Williamson (hamstring) is out
- G Poole (quad) is out.
LA Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans Predictions
ATS Pick for Lakers vs. Pelicans:
- Lakers -9.5 (5 units)
New Orleans continues to be one of the more frustrating teams in the league. The core has talent, but the constant injuries to Zion Williamson and the addition of Jordan Poole, whose leadership has been questioned, make it difficult to expect long-term success. The Pelicans have covered the spread in only two of their last ten meetings against the Lakers, and Los Angeles has won the last six head-to-head matchups outright. With this being an NBA Cup game, I expect the Lakers to give a strong effort, and I do not see much that suggests the Pelicans will be competitive.
The Lakers have not relied heavily on the three, but they have had excellent shot selection and rank third in the NBA in true shooting percentage, while the Pelicans are 29th. I will take the Lakers to cover.
Total Pick for Lakers vs. Pelicans:
- Over 228.5 (5 units)
With tiebreakers in play in NBA Cup games, neither team has a reason to slow down. I do not expect this to be a tight game wire-to-wire, so there should be plenty of late scoring from both sides.
The over has cashed in nine of the Lakers' first 12 games, and they have been very efficient with their shot selection. All of the issues with New Orleans' offense make this a little scary, but both teams have had defensive problems as well. The Pelicans are in the bottom third of the league in opponents' field goals made and three-pointers allowed, and the Lakers are in the bottom half in both categories defensively as well.
I will play the over with a manageable total here.
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