Pelicans vs. Knicks, 4/18/21 NBA Fantasy News & Betting Predictions

Pelicans vs. Knicks NBA Prediction

The first game of ESPN’s NBA double header takes place at Madison Square Garden on Sunday where the Knicks will host the Pelicans at 1:00 p.m. ET. What’s the best play on the board when it comes to this matchup?

Game Snapshot

569 New Orleans Pelicans (+2.5) at 570 New York Knicks (-2.5); o/u 219.5

1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, April 18, 2021

Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

TV: ESPN

New Orleans Pelicans DFS Spin

Lonzo Ball (hip) returned from a four-game absence on Friday vs. the Wizards, scoring four points (2-of-10 FGs) with three assists, two rebounds, one steal and two blocks in 20 minutes. There was obvious rust from Ball tonight and it didn’t help that he had restrictions. He was red hot before this latest four-game absence with 18.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 triples, 2.3 steals and 0.7 blocks in his previous three outings, so he has proven that he has monster upside on the rare occasions that he’s actually healthy. He’ll get a matchup vs. the Knicks on Sunday who are rumored to be one of his most aggressive suitors in free agency this summer.

New York Knicks DFS Spin

Julius Randle powered the Knicks to a road win in Dallas on Friday, scoring a season-high-tying 44 points on 16-of-29 shooting, including a 6-of-11 mark from downtown. When he shoots like this from deep it's lights out for most defenses. The Knicks are now on a five-game win streak, their longest streak since 2014, and as usual Randle is in the middle of it all. He filled out his stat line tonight with 10 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block, playing 41 minutes. This game will go along way toward improving his rough FG% of late (41.9% since the All-Star break), and if you're willing to ignore out his turnovers he's cruising along with early-round value. Not bad for a guy who was taken in the late-middle rounds of most fantasy drafts.

Pelicans vs. Knicks Betting Prediction

The over is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two teams and has cashed in 36 of the Pelicans’ last 51 games overall. The over is also 4-1 in the Knicks’ last five games, is 4-1 in their last five games when they’re coming off an ATS win and has cashed in four of the last five games when their opponent has a losing record.

NBA BETTING PREDICTION: PELICANS/KNICKS OVER 219.5