The Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans square off in Las Vegas in a semifinal tilt of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday. For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Lakers as 2-point favorites, while the over/under is 230 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our NBA odds page). Before making any Pelicans vs. Lakers picks, you NEED to check out the NBA predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 7 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 92-50 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. Anyone following it has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows the Pelicans have three players averaging at least 20 points per game. Brandon Ingram leads the way with 23.7 points per game, and he generated 30 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the quarterfinal win over Sacramento. Zion Williamson adds 22.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, with CJ McCollum contributing 20.7 points and a team-leading 6.0 assists per contest. The Pelicans are also averaging 25.5 free throw attempts per game.

The model also knows the Lakers held the Suns to 1.05 points per possession on Tuesday evening. Los Angeles is a top-10 defensive team in the NBA this season, and the Lakers lead the league in free throw prevention. The Lakers also rank in the top ten of the league in 2-point percentage allowed, field goal percentage allowed, and defensive rebound rate. Anthony Davis anchors the defense on the back line, and he leads the league in blocked shots. 

Now, it has set its sights on Pelicans vs. Lakers. We can tell you the model is leaning Under the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any NBA picks.

Who wins Pelicans vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Pelicans vs. Lakers spread you should be all over Thursday, all from the model on a roll on NBA picks!