NBA Prop Bets: Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans (March 3, 2026)

The New Orleans Pelicans (19-43) face the Los Angeles Lakers (36-24) at Crypto.com Arena. Let's take a look at the NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday's matchup. The Lakers opened as 10.5-point favorites but the spread has since moved to 8.5, leaving the Lakers at -345 and Pelicans at +275. The total points line is set at 242.5, with OVER at -112 and UNDER at -108, meaning the implied expected score for the game is 126-117 LA Lakers.

The Lakers (-108) have a 30-28-2 ATS record this season, while the Pelicans (-112) hold a record of 32-28-2.
The Lakers have a 32-27-1 O/U record this season (meaning 32 games have gone over the total points line, 27 have gone under and one has resulted in a push). The Pelicans have a 32-30-0 O/U record.

Scoring Insights

The Lakers are averaging 115.9 points per game this season (13th in the league). Comparatively, the Pelicans are averaging 115.1 (18th).
Defensively, the Lakers are giving up 115.4 points per game this season (16th in the league), while the Pelicans are giving up an average of 120.4 points (27th).

Game Style

What do the stats tell us about the style of basketball these teams are playing this season?

Pace

The Lakers currently rank 21st for pace this season, recording 98.4 possessions per game. Alternatively, the Pelicans sit 13th on that scale with 100.1 possessions per contest.

Field Goal Split

Looking at field goal splits, 39.9% of the Lakers' field goal attempts come from three point range (24th in the league), leaving 60.1% from two. Meanwhile, the Pelicans' opponents are taking 44.9% of their attempts from three (29th) and 55.1% from two.
Comparatively, New Orleans takes 36.0% of shots from three (26th), leaving 64.0% from two, while the Lakers' opponents are attempting 41.6% from three (15th) and 58.4% from two.

Beyond the Arc

In terms of made three-pointers, the Lakers are shooting 35.7% from deep in 2025/26 (17th in the NBA), compared to the Pelicans who are making 34.5% of their attempts (24th).
On the opposite end, the Lakers are holding opponents to 36.2% of their three-point attempts (19th), while New Orleans' opponents are hitting 35.1% of their shots (9th).

Ball Protection

The Lakers are committing 14.6 turnovers per game this season, ranking 17th in the league, while the Pelicans are forcing 14.5 turnovers (14th).
Flipping that script, the Lakers are forcing 14.5 turnovers (15th), while New Orleans is committing 14.3 (11th).

Crashing the Boards

The Lakers are pulling down 40.9 rebounds per game this season (29th in the league), including 9.5 offensive boards (28th). Conversely, New Orleans' opponents are averaging 45.7 rebounds (25th), 12.6 of which have come on the offensive end (29th).
Meanwhile, the Pelicans are averaging 43.9 rebounds (15th) and 12.3 offensive rebounds (8th), while the Lakers are allowing 41.0 and 10.9, ranking 3rd and T5th.

First Quarter Winner

The Lakers are -192 to win the first quarter, while New Orleans is +160. Here are their first quarter records in 2025/26.

	Total	Home	Road	Favorite	Underdog
LA Lakers	27-30-3	12-15-2	15-15-1	22-13-3	5-17-0	6-3-1
New Orleans	26-34-2	14-18-0	12-16-2	7-4-0	19-30-2	6-4-0

First Half Winner

The Lakers are -258 to win the first half and New Orleans is +210. Here are their first half records in 2025/26.

	Total	Home	Road	Favorite	Underdog
LA Lakers	25-32-3	13-16-0	12-16-3	19-18-1	6-14-2	5-4-1
New Orleans	24-37-1	13-18-1	11-19-0	7-4-0	17-33-1	5-5-0

HT/FT

The Lakers are -210 to complete the HT/FT double. Conversely, New Orleans is +360.

The Lakers have completed the HT/FT double in 38.3% of games this season, while the Pelicans have completed the HT/FT double in 19.4% of games.

To Go To Overtime

Tuesday's matchup is +1800 to go to overtime.

The Lakers have not played in a game that went to overtime this season. Comparatively, the Pelicans have appeared in five such contests.

Both Teams 110+

Both teams have scored 110+ points in 29 of the Lakers' 60 games this season. Meanwhile, 35 of New Orleans' 62 games have seen both squads reach that number.

Last Time They Met

The Lakers recorded a 111-103 victory over New Orleans at Smoothie King Center when these teams last met on January 6. LeBron James was prominent on that day, recording 30 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals. The Lakers have now won nine straight against the Pelicans.