Pelicans 4-8 After a Record Loss: How to Bet New Orleans Now

The New Orleans Pelicans are 4-8 after three straight blowout losses: 139-123 at the Clippers on Sunday, 138-87 at Golden State on Monday, and 145-111 at home to Brooklyn on Wednesday. The 51-point loss to the Warriors was the worst in franchise history. On DraftKings lines, New Orleans started the season 6-2 against the spread, then went 0-4 in its last four games, missing the number by an average of 24.25 points. They host Memphis on Friday and Denver on Saturday. The Best Bet on Sports has built a verified $367,520+ in profit across all sportsbooks over more than twenty years, and a team in a tailspin is where live prices lag the most.

The question for bettors isn't whether the Pelicans are bad right now. They are. It's whether the market has already caught up. After a week like this, the line on New Orleans will move. The numbers below show where the damage is coming from, and why it matters for how you bet them.

What Happened to the Pelicans This Week?

New Orleans played three games in four nights and lost all three by double digits.

Sunday at the Clippers: 139-123. The Pelicans were 1.5-point favorites on DraftKings, according to ESPN's line feed. They trailed by seven at halftime, then gave up 72 points in the second half. Trey Murphy III scored 26.

Monday at Golden State: 138-87. The Warriors were 10.5-point favorites. They led 72-43 at halftime and won by 51. It was the worst loss in franchise history, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com, as cited by Hoops Rumors. Coach Jamahl Mosley pointed to the defense after the game, saying "we got hit in the mouth twice."

Wednesday vs. Brooklyn: 145-111. This was the one that should worry bettors most. The Pelicans were 2.5-point favorites at home against a Nets team that had won just twice all season. Brooklyn was missing guards Nolan Traore and Mikel Brown Jr., led by as many as 41, and got 22 points from Egor Demin on eight shots in his return from a six-game absence, according to the New York Daily News. Zion Williamson scored 29 for New Orleans.

That's 422 points allowed in three games, an average of 140.7.

How Bad Has the Defense Been?

The collapse is new. That's the key point for bettors.

Through the first eight games, New Orleans was a solid bet. The Pelicans won at Memphis as a 5.5-point underdog, beat Atlanta by 22 as a 5.5-point dog, and covered at Denver as an 11.5-point dog in overtime. They were the kind of team the market kept underrating.

Then the defense fell apart. Over the last three games, opponents scored at least 35 points in nine of 12 quarters. In the first nine games, that happened in only six of 36 regulation quarters.

Here's the full game log with DraftKings lines from ESPN:

Overall, the Pelicans are 6-6 against the spread, and their games are 8-4 to the over. At home they're 3-4 straight up and 3-4 ATS.

Where Are the Pelicans Losing These Games?

In the second half.

Across their first nine games, the Pelicans were outscored by six points in total after halftime. That's essentially even. In the last three games, they lost the second halves by 48 points combined. They've stopped competing once they fall behind.

That pattern matters for how to bet them. A team that falls behind and then gives up is a team whose full-game spread looks reasonable before tip but whose second-half spread can be too short. The market adjusts the full-game number after a week like this. It's usually slower to adjust the halftime and live numbers.

What's Next on the Pelicans' Schedule?

No line for Friday's game was posted in ESPN's DraftKings feed as of Thursday morning.

The Golden State rematch has a new wrinkle. Stephen Curry left Wednesday's loss in Houston with right abdominal soreness and went for an MRI. Coach Steve Kerr said the concern is high, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic, as cited by Hoops Rumors. If Curry misses Monday, that line will be a lot shorter than the 10.5 Golden State laid on Nov. 9.

The back-to-back on Saturday is the hardest spot. Denver beat New Orleans by 13 in New Orleans on Oct. 28, and the Pelicans will be playing their second game in two nights against a rested team.

Should You Fade the Pelicans?

Not blindly. Three things point in different directions.

The case for fading: The defense is giving up 140 points a game over the last three, and the team has lost three straight second halves by double digits. Guard Jordan Poole is on an expiring deal and said this week he'd like to return to Golden State someday. A team losing this way can keep losing until something changes.

The case against fading: The market moves fast after a week like this. Through eight games, New Orleans covered six times. Their wins came against teams like Memphis, Atlanta and Utah, and Friday's opponent is Memphis. A bad week doesn't erase a 6-2 ATS start. The line will move against them, and the value often moves with it.

The middle ground: The full-game spread will adjust before Friday. The second-half and live numbers often don't. If you're betting the Pelicans, the halftime line is where the recent data has the most to say.

Why This Matters if You Pay for Picks

A week like this is when bettors overreact. "The Pelicans just lost by 51, fade them" sounds smart and gets passed around. The market hears it too, and the price adjusts. Knowing a team is bad isn't an edge. Knowing when the number still hasn't caught up is.

That's why the work we do as basketball handicappers is built around in-game prices. We've been limited on all six major U.S. sportsbooks (FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, BetMGM, Fanatics and ESPN BET) for winning too much at live betting. If you're comparing NBA handicappers, ask how they handle a team like this one: do they just fade the headline, or do they wait for the spot where the line lags? Our NBA picks and daily sports betting picks pages show how we approach each night's card, and our basketball handicapping guide explains the process. For another struggling-team case study from this week, see our breakdown of the 1-10 Sacramento Kings.

What This Article Doesn't Cover

The lines in this article are DraftKings closing numbers from ESPN's line feed. They may differ slightly from other books. Results and box score details come from ESPN and Wikipedia's season log. Quotes and injury details are from NOLA.com, The Athletic and the New York Daily News, as reported by Hoops Rumors. We don't have injury reports for Friday yet, and no line for the Memphis game had been posted as of Thursday morning. Check the current number before you bet.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Pelicans' record against the spread this season?

The New Orleans Pelicans are 6-6 against the spread through 12 games on DraftKings lines, according to ESPN's line feed. They started 6-2 ATS, then went 0-4 in their last four games, missing the spread by an average of 24.25 points. At home they're 3-4 ATS, and on the road they're 3-2.

What was the worst loss in Pelicans history?

The 138-87 loss at Golden State on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. The 51-point margin is the worst in franchise history, according to NOLA.com. The Warriors were 10.5-point favorites and led 72-43 at halftime. It came one night after a 139-123 loss to the Clippers.

Why have the Pelicans struggled defensively?

They've stopped defending in the second half. Over their last three games, opponents scored at least 35 points in nine of 12 quarters, and New Orleans lost those three second halves by a combined 48 points. Through the first nine games, they had been outscored by only six points in total after halftime. Coach Jamahl Mosley said the team let its offense dictate its defense.

Do Pelicans games go over the total?

Mostly, yes. Pelicans games are 8-4 to the over this season on DraftKings totals. Their last three opponents scored 139, 138 and 145 points. Two of the four unders came in games where New Orleans scored 91 and 87, so a low-scoring Pelicans night can still go under even when the defense struggles.

When do the Pelicans play next?

The Pelicans host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Nov. 13, in an NBA Cup group game, then host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, Nov. 14, on the second night of a back-to-back. They host Golden State on Monday, Nov. 16, in a rematch of the 51-point loss. No line for Friday had been posted as of Thursday morning.

Should you bet against the Pelicans after three blowout losses?

Not automatically. The full-game line will move after a week like this, which takes away much of the value. New Orleans covered six of its first eight games before this stretch. The better spot may be the second-half or live line, because the Pelicans' recent losses have come after halftime and those numbers often adjust more slowly.

How does Stephen Curry's injury affect the Pelicans-Warriors rematch?

Curry left Golden State's Wednesday loss in Houston with right abdominal soreness and had an MRI. Coach Steve Kerr said the concern is high, according to The Athletic. If Curry misses Monday's game in New Orleans, expect a much shorter line than the 10.5 points Golden State laid in the 51-point win on Nov. 9.