New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards Picks, Prediction, Odds, and Line Movement for Friday January 9 2026
Interconference NBA action on Friday evening, and we have a New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards prediction locked and loaded for you. New Orleans enters this game off a 117-100 road loss to Atlanta, which dropped them to 8-31 on the year. Washington comes in off a 131-110 road loss to the Sixers and are now 10-26 on the year. The Pelicans won both meetings a year ago and have now won six of the last seven in this series. Read on to see our Pelicans vs Wizards prediction.
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Pelicans Lose 9th In A Row
New Orleans heads into Friday’s matchup in Washington trying to stop the bleeding after a 117–100 loss to the Hawks, their ninth straight defeat. The Pelicans actually got a strong night from Zion Williamson, who shook off a scoreless first quarter to finish with 22 points on 10‑of‑15 shooting, eight rebounds, and six assists. Jordan Poole added 21, Bryce McGowens chipped in 20, and several young pieces flashed energy, but Atlanta controlled the game from the opening quarter, building a 37–26 lead and stretching it to 89–66 by the end of the third. New Orleans shot just 44% from the field and 29% from three, and without Trey Murphy (back), they lacked the perimeter punch needed to keep pace. The losing streak now stretches back to December 22, when they last won against Dallas.
For the season, the Pelicans average 114.5 points per game (22nd) while shooting 46.0% from the field (22nd) and a league‑worst 33.7% from three (30th). They sit 22nd in rebounding at 43.3 per game, and the defensive issues have been even more glaring: 122.7 points allowed (28th), opponents shooting 48.6% overall (28th) and 35.9% from deep (17th). Against Washington, the keys are straightforward — they need Zion to set the tone early, Poole to provide efficient scoring without forcing shots, and the supporting cast to generate enough spacing to keep the floor open. Cleaning up defensive lapses and limiting second‑chance points will be critical, especially against a Wizards team adjusting to the arrival of Trae Young but still capable of scoring in bunches. If New Orleans can avoid the long droughts that have defined this losing streak, they’ll finally give themselves a chance to snap it.
Washington Gets Blasted By the Sixers
Washington returns home Friday to face the Pelicans after a 131–110 loss in Philadelphia, a game that was competitive early before the Sixers’ stars took over. Joel Embiid scored 28 and Paul George added 23 as Philly built a 13‑point first‑quarter lead and never really let Washington back in. The Wizards actually hung around behind Tre Johnson’s 20 points, with Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly each adding 18, but a scoreless stretch late in the third quarter and an 11–0 Sixers run to open the fourth put the game out of reach. It was also the final game before the franchise‑shifting move that sent Trae Young to Washington and shipped CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta, a deal that instantly changes the team’s identity and expectations moving forward.
For the season, Washington averages 113.5 points per game (24th) while shooting 46.4% from the field (20th) and 36.2% from three (13th), with a solid 44.2 rebounds per game (17th). The defensive numbers remain the issue: the Wizards allow 124.2 points (29th), opponents shoot 47.2% (18th) and 36.5% from deep (20th), and they sit last in defensive rebounding at 47.9 allowed per game. Against New Orleans, the keys are straightforward: stabilize the rotation after the trade, lean on Johnson, Carrington, and Coulibaly for scoring balance, and avoid the long droughts that buried them in Philly. The Pelicans are banged up and struggling, but Washington’s defense has to show more resistance, especially inside, if they want to give the home crowd something to cheer about as the Trae Young era begins on the bench.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Insiders Room | +1,793.00 |
| 2 |  Tony Karpinski | +1,731.00 |
| 3 |  Jesse Schule | +1,599.00 |
| 4 |  Rob Vinciletti | +1,284.00 |
| 5 |  David Delano | +1,232.00 |
Pelicans vs Wizards Spread Pick
- New Orleans -2 (4 Units)
New Orleans -2 makes sense here because, for all their issues, they’re finally walking into a matchup where their strengths actually line up with the opponent’s weaknesses. Washington is still sorting out its rotation after the Trae Young/CJ McCollum trade, they’re bottom‑two in scoring defense at 124.2 points allowed, and they give up the most defensive rebounds in the league — a huge opening for Zion to live in the paint and for Jordan Poole to get downhill without much resistance. The Pelicans have dropped nine straight, but they’ve at least been competitive in several of those games, and this is the softest defense they’ve seen in weeks. If New Orleans can avoid the long scoring droughts that have been killing them and simply hold up on the defensive glass, this is the kind of opponent they should finally be able to put away.
Pelicans vs Wizards Over/Under Pick
- Under 242 (5 Units)
The Under 242 lines up with how both teams are playing right now. New Orleans is on a nine‑game skid, and even when they hang around, their offense has been wildly inconsistent — they’re shooting 46% from the field and a league‑worst 33.7% from three, which makes it tough for their games to consistently land in the 240s unless the opponent drags them there. Washington can score in stretches, but they’re also adjusting to the Trae Young/CJ McCollum trade and just put up 110 in Philly with long droughts in the second half. Neither team rebounds well, which usually means fewer second‑chance points and more empty possessions. With both sides dealing with roster changes, shaky spacing, and a tendency to stall for minutes at a time, this matchup feels more like a mid‑220s game than anything pushing into the 240s.
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