For the second week of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament games, we’re going to be backing the New Orleans Pelicans on the road against the Houston Rockets. The Pelicans have been struggling since CJ McCollum has been off the court with a lung issue, and with Zion missing their last game against the Timberwolves for the birth of his daughter. The Rockets have been outperforming expectations heavily this last week, with all 4 of their wins coming consecutively. If Zion can return tonight, we should get a good closing number on the Pelicans. Keep in mind, the NBA Play-In Tournament is adding a good bit of extra motivation for the players to kick it into gear. This is something that both teams in this instance will benefit from. Our stake is a half unit on the Pelicans +3.

We like the Kings as a home underdog against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sacramento is the ideal candidate for the In-Season Tournament effect. The Kings fans will take any excuse they can get to show up with their cowbells and their can-do attitude. We anticipate that the Kings will come out with as much ‘Light the Beam’ energy as they can possibly muster. With De’Aaron Fox missing his 5th straight game with an ankle injury, the Kings are going to have to hustle out to cover three point shooters on defense, and do their best to bully Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into taking difficult shots. This is a great opportunity for the Kings to get back on track and prove that they can win games without their star point guard. Our stake is a half unit on the Kings with the +2 points.