Vegas Play of the Day: New Orleans Pelicans at Brooklyn Nets
Jonathan Bachman / AP
New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday drives with the ball Feb. 25, 2016, during the first half of an NBA game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in New Orleans. The Pelicans say Holiday will be taking indefinite leave to care for his wife, Lauren, who is pregnant and needs brain surgery.
Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 | 11:11 a.m.
We’re entering the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.
Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015. Bern stepped away in the middle of the 2016-2017 season with a 16-12 record and $13,317 bankroll, with Mike Grimala taking his place.
New Orleans Pelicans minus-4 at Brooklyn Nets: $550 to win $500
The Brooklyn Nets are a horrible team. At home, on the road, regardless of opponent, the Nets (8-29) are the worst team in the NBA. That alone gives me enough confidence to bet against them on any given night.
But the Nets have been playing an especially terrible brand of basketball over the last few weeks, even for them. Brooklyn has lost its last seven games, with the average margin of defeat at 13.9 points. Only one of the games was closer than double digits (a 116-108 home loss to Cleveland last week).
New Orleans star big man Anthony Davis (29.1 points, 12.2 rebounds per game) is bothered by a nagging hip injury, so he may not be his usual, dominant self in this game. But consider this: Over the last three games, Brooklyn center Brook Lopez has played 97 minutes and grabbed just five total rebounds. Five! Whether Davis is 100 percent or not, he'll dominate this matchup down low and help the Pelicans cover the line fairly easily.
Current Standings: Keefer (35-23-2, $12,361), Brewer (21-18-1, $10,095), Grimala (2-2, $10,000), Granger (5-10, $5,850)