WAS
NOP
Washington Wizards @ New Orleans Pelicans
Any-day matchup · ratings as of
Our pick
NOPNew Orleans Pelicans
62% to win
A probability, not a promise. A 62% pick still loses about 4 times in 10.
Advantages Why Pelicans can win
- Simulation: the Pelicans win 6,180 of 10,000 simulated games.
- Home court: the Pelicans play at home, worth about 2 points in today's NBA.
- Net rating (points per 100 possessions): Pelicans 21st (-4.2), Wizards 30th (-10.9).
- The Pelicans' offense (111.2 points per 100 possessions, 18th in the NBA) meets a Wizards defense that ranks 30th.
- Recent scoring margins: worth about 1.4 points to the Pelicans in our ratings.
Disadvantages Why Pelicans may not
- Upset odds: the Wizards win 3,820 of 10,000 simulations (38%). A 62% pick still loses about 4 times in 10.
- Range of outcomes: in the worst 10% of simulations the Pelicans lose by 13 or more.
- Weak spot: the Pelicans rank 27th of 30 in defensive rebounding (share of misses) (71.7%).
- Weak spot: the Pelicans rank 26th of 30 in effective shooting (eFG%) (52.8%).
- Weak spot: the Pelicans rank 26th of 30 in points allowed per game (120.1).
The line and our numbers
| Market | AZMango | |
|---|---|---|
| Spread | No line yet | NOP -3.8 |
| Total points | n/a | 237.2 |
| Win chance | WAS n/a · NOP n/a | WAS 38% · NOP 62% |
| Fair moneyline | WAS +162 · NOP -162 |
No betting line for this pairing. Odds change all the time, so check a sportsbook before acting on any number here.
10,000 simulated games, possession by possession
- Typical score: Pelicans 121, Wizards 117.
- 80% of simulations land between Wizards by 13 and Pelicans by 21.
Side by side
| WAS | NOP | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Record | 1-4 |
| -10.9 30 | Net rating | -4.2 21 |
| 108.2 29 | Offensive rating | 111.2 18 |
| 119.2 30 | Defensive rating | 115.4 23 |
| 53.5% 21 | Effective FG% | 52.8% 26 |
| 55.9% 27 | Opponent eFG% | 55.5% 23 |
| 15.0 23 | Turnovers per 100 | 13.8 10 |
| 23.9% 22 | Offensive rebound % | 26.7% 9 |
| 35.5% 18 | 3-point % | 34.4% 25 |
| 104.3 5 | Pace | 104.1 8 |
Small numbers are league ranks (1 = best of 30; pace 1 = fastest). Ratings are points per 100 possessions (2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons).
Last 5 meetings
| Date | Season | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-08 | 2025-26 | WAS 118 @ NOP 138 | NOP |
| 2026-01-09 | 2025-26 | NOP 128 @ WAS 107 | NOP |
| 2025-01-05 | 2024-25 | NOP 110 @ WAS 98 | NOP |
| 2025-01-03 | 2024-25 | WAS 120 @ NOP 132 | NOP |
| 2024-02-14 | 2023-24 | WAS 126 @ NOP 133 | NOP |
No betting line exists for a game that isn't scheduled, so this uses our own power ratings (in the backtest they pick about 66% of winners, against about 68% for the closing line), with both teams at full strength.
Basis: power ratings only (no betting line yet). 10,000 simulated games, checked against a walk-forward backtest of 10,227 NBA games since 2018-19. Model version 1. How it works