Pelicans vs. Nuggets prediction, odds, pick, spread – 2/3/2025
Yesterday at 10:36 PM
As the NBA All-Star break approaches, we’ll be bringing you all the betting coverage for Regular Season action as we head west for this next scheduled showdown. The New Orleans Pelicans (12-37) will take on the Denver Nuggets (30-19) as the two sides trend in opposite directions. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series with a Pelicans-Nuggets prediction and pick.
The New Orleans Pelicans are currently fourteenth in the Western Conference and most recently lost a close 118-116 game against the Boston Celtics. It marked their fifth-consecutive loss as they’ve gone 4-6 over their last 10. The Pelicans will hope to break this losing streak as double-digit betting underdogs for the second-straight game.
The Denver Nuggets are fourth in the West following their most recent 107-104 win against the Charlotte Hornets. They’re 6-4 over their last 10 and ride back-to-back wins heading into this one after yet another big performance behind Nikola Jokic. They’ll hope to begin another streak with a win here.
Here are the Pelicans-Nuggets NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Pelicans-Nuggets Odds
New Orleans Pelicans: +12.5 (-112)
Moneyline: +560
Denver Nuggets: -12.5 (-108)
Moneyline: -800
Over: 239.5 (-110)
Under: 239.5 (-110)
How To Watch Pelicans vs. Nuggets
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT
TV: Altitude Sports Network, NBA League Pass
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Pelicans Could Cover the Spread/Win
The New Orleans Pelicans are riding yet another losing streak as they’ve lost their last two games by a combined three total points. Trey Murphy notched a massive game-high 40 points against the Celtics as Boston was bailed out by a Jayson Tatum game-winning jumper. Their last game against Dallas was even closer as Murphy scored another 32 points during the one-point loss. Zion Williamson is averaging 26.2 PPG, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists over the last five games, so it’s only a matter of time before they find a stretch of luck and upset a much better team.
A record breaking month for CJ #Pelicans | @Kiapic.twitter.com/Pp2Z0kxKhJ
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 1, 2025
Things may not be looking up for the Pelicans anytime soon as they recently lost star point guard Dejounte Murray to a season-ending injury. This will put added pressure on CJ McCollum to produce from his spot and even take over as the primary ball handler in some situations. This is of course compiled with the injury to Brandon Ingram as the Pelicans continue to hobble as they try to win games.
Why the Nuggets Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Denver Nuggets are coming off another huge performance on the back of Nikola Jokic who notched his twenty-second triple-double of the season with a 28/13/17 stat line. He’s once again looking like the favorite to win back-to-back MVP awards in a historic run over the last five years. Still, they’ll need to focus on the fundamentals like rebounding the ball – last time they lost to New Orleans, they were out-rebounded 56-38.
Shoutout CB
24 PTS / 11 REB / 2 AST / 2 STL pic.twitter.com/LJfHD0XsmJ
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) February 2, 2025
Jamal Murray has really elevated his play over the last two months as he scored a team-high 31 points to beat the 76ers in their recent game. The Nuggets are 12-6 this season in games where Murray has scored 20 or more points, so they’re certainly focused on getting him hot early in the game while letting Jokic feed him the ball. The Nuggets have also been thriving from the charity stripe this season at 77.3% as a team, so expect them to continue being aggressive in the paint and drawing fouls.
Final Pelicans-Nuggets Prediction & Pick
The Pelicans actually managed a 101-94 win against the Nuggets earlier this season and the game they lost was only decided by three points. They’re double-digit underdogs but they’ve managed to keep their last two games against the Celtics and Mavericks within a single basket. Denver is 23-25 ATS this season, so don’t be surprised if they run into some trouble covering a sizable spread.
Nikola Jokic stands to have another big game against the Pelicans as he’s averaging a 27.0 PPG triple-double against them in recent memory. The Nuggets are also the more athletic team and have been playing great complementary basketball behind the success of Christian Braun and his ability to run the floor in transition.
I fully expect the Denver Nuggets to win this game, but they’ve allowed teams like the Hornets and 76ers hang around in their last two games. While the Pelicans certainly aren’t winning games, they’ve managed to cover as of late, so let’s roll with New Orleans to cover the spread in this one.
Final Pelicans-Nuggets Prediction & Pick: New Orleans Pelicans +12.5 (-112)
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