New Orleans was beaten down by Orlando in its last game, losing 113-93. The Pelicans allowed an offensively inept Magic squad to shoot 51.8 percent overall, including 39 percent from three. They trailed by as many as 36 points and never led by more than 2... Tonight, with Zion Williamson out, they are curiously 2.5-point spread favorites.

San Antonio is the side to bet on, and I'm going for the maximum impact by betting them to win straight-up. The Spurs are putting up a lot of points, most recently scoring 134 against Charlotte, 126 and 129 against Dallas in a back-to-back, and 124 against Minnesota. I believe they will continue their hot scoring stretch at home against a Pelicans team that has lost five of its last six games, allowing opponents to score 146 points, 127 points, and 113 points in three recent games.