19th October 2022 - preview, prediction & picks:
New Orleans Pelicans @ Brooklyn Nets
Expected lineups/team news:
Pelicans:
PG - C.J. McCollum
SG - Brandon Ingram
SF - Herbert Jones
PF - Zion Williamson
C - Jonas Valanciunas
Trey Murphy III took a backseat last season but is poised to make an important contribution soon. As a supporting cast member to the likes of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.
Coming off the back of a pre-season win against the Atlanta Hawks (Go Hawks!)
Seth Curry (ankle) and Joe Harris (let foot) ruled out for the opener due to injury.
Nets:
PG - Kyrie Irving
SG - Joe Harris
SF - Kevin Durant
PF - Ben Simmons
C - Nicolas Claxton
Nicolas Claxton can surely expect more time spent on the floor this season. He has proven himself worthy in almost all aspects. He will be especially potent if the Nets can pick up the pace. Such is his athleticism and mobility.
The Nets’ main challenges come from fitting all the pieces of the jigsaw into place. There are political and personal issues behind the scenes that threaten to disrupt. But from a purely basketball point of view, they’re in great shape. Some reckon their roster to be among the best in the NBA.
2021/22 standings:
New Orleans: 3rd in Southwest - 9th in Western - 20th in NBA
Brooklyn: 4th in Atlantic - 7th in Eastern - 14th in NBA
Head-to-head
2021/22:
NOP 0 - 2 BKN
Regular season
NOP 20 - 22 BKN
NBA Playoffs
NOP 0 - 0 BKN
Last game:
Pelicans 105 - 120 Nets
Rest days:
NOP: >3
BKN: >3
Home/away (H/A) last 3 games
NOP: - - -
BKN: - - -
NBA Championship odds:
Rationale:
Assuming that Ben Simmons is healthy and engaged, he changes the game entirely. Fitting him onto any basketball team will always be difficult but must be done.
Durant and Irving are bound to demand significant usage so it’s not clear how all the moving parts will fall into place yet. But if you’re looking to create a winning formula, you could do a lot worse than having the roster that the Brooklyn Nets do. Time will tell if the coach can pull it all together sooner rather than later.
Prediction:
Here at The Jump Hub, we’re backing:
OVER 229.5 @ 1.90
2-star pick **
