ZT dives into his pick and prediction for the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Brookly Nets matchup on Saturday as part of the seven-game NBA schedule.

In the first game on Saturday’s schedule the New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets tip off the schedule at 5:00 p.m. ET. Both teams have struggled badly in the first part of the season, quickly sinking out of the playoff race. Each side does have some interesting young players in the mix, though, as they try to identify which options can be part of their long-term rebuilds. Which young squad will come out on top this Saturday afternoon?

Here’s a Pelicans vs. Nets prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday’s matchup.

Pelicans vs. Nets prediction, preview

The Pelicans have an NBA-worst 3-20 record in their 23 games this season and have lost five straight coming into this matchup against the Nets. They did have a very competitive game against the Timberwolves this week, taking them to overtime before losing 149-142 on Tuesday. The Pels also lost the rematch on Thursday, 125-116.

In this contest, New Orleans won’t have Zion Williamson (adductor), Jordan Poole (quad), Herb Jones (calf), and possibly Yves Missi (foot, questionable). Without so many starters, the Pelicans have been one of the most favorable matchups this season, allowing 123.4 points per game, the third-most in the NBA. They have the fourth-worst defensive rating and the fifth-worst offensive rating in the league.

The Nets haven’t been any better defensively, ranking second-worst in the NBA in defensive rating and allowing 118.0 points per game. They have been marginally better on offense, especially when Michael Porter Jr. has been available.

Porter has scored at least 24 points in seven of his last eight games and led the team to wins over the Hornets and Bulls on Monday and Wednesday of this past week. He sat out Thursday’s loss to the Jazz for injury management, but he isn’t on the injury report for Saturday, indicating he’s ready to get back in action and lead the Nets.

The Nets have been using rookies Ben Saraf and Egor Demin in the backcourt, while Danny Wolf has also been involved lately. Wolf didn’t play much early in the season, but has logged at least 19 minutes and scored at least eight points in four straight games, averaging 14.3 points per game over that stretch.

The Pelicans also have featured some rookies as main contributors this season with Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears both in the team’s regular starting lineup. Queen has been especially involved and effective, averaging 14.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 27 minutes per game since joining the starting five 11 games ago. He’s shown the ability to stuff the stat sheet in multiple categories and has excelled when playing next to Williamson or helping to carry the load in his absence.

Fears was the No. 7 overall pick in the draft and has averaged 15.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his 23 games this season. He just turned 19 in October and is getting great on-the-job training to be a key part of the team’s core moving forward. The Pelicans have had to rely on those two rookies along with veterans Trey Murphy III and Saddiq Bey to carry the offensive workload while Zion and Poole have been out.

Pelicans vs. Nets pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook has the Nets as -4.5 favorites at home tonight with -162 odds on the Moneyline. The Suns are +135 underdogs to win outright with the game total set at 227.5. As for betting splits, 75% of the handle and 61% of the bets are on the Nets against the spread.

Top pick: BKN Nets -3.5 (-112)

The Nets have won three of their last five games with MPJ available and have won four of their last 10 overall. While that isn’t world-beating, it’s definitely better than what the Pelicans have done lately. The Nets are marginally better overall and have been much better lately, so the fact that they’re at home and only giving 3.5 points makes them a strong play to start your Saturday NBA betting card.

Strong Lean: Saddiq Bey over 17.5 points (-107)

Bey has scored at least 18 points in seven straight games while helping to carry the load for the Pelicans. He has played 34.3 minutes and shot 51% from the field, including 31.7% from long-range. He’s taking an average of 14 shots per game over that span, which should give him a good shot to deliver over this points line again on Saturday.