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Russ Isabella (USA Today)

The New Orleans Pelicans will take on the Washington Wizards at 8 p.m. ET Friday at Visa Athletic Center in Orlando. The Pelicans are two games behind the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Wizards are 7.5 games behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and are on the verge of elimination from the postseason race. 

The Wizards are 1-6-1 against the spread in their last seven games as an underdog. The Pelicans, who will be without Zion Williamson (rest) on Friday, are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games on zero days rest. New Orleans is favored by eight points in the latest Pelicans vs. Wizards odds from William Hill, and the over-under is set at 236. Before entering any Wizards vs. Pelicans picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it's already returned well over $4,200 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks this season. It entered the week on a blistering 54-32 run on top-rated NBA spread picks, returning almost $1,900 on those picks alone. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Pelicans vs. Wizards. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Pelicans vs. Wizards:

  • Pelicans vs. Wizards spread: Pelicans -8
  • Pelicans vs. Wizards over-under: 236 points
  • Pelicans vs. Wizards money line: New Orleans -330, Washington 270

Why the Pelicans can cover

New Orleans fell 140-125 to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. Williamson and Brandon Ingram, had 24 points each. The Pelicans set two franchise records by allowing 49 points in the first quarter and falling behind by 32 points at halftime. They also allowed 40 points in the fourth quarter. 

Ingram will have to pick up more of the offensive load on Friday as Williamson will be rested on the second night of back-to-back scheduled games. The Pelicans have lost three of four games since the NBA resumed play. 

Why the Wizards can cover

Washington took a 107-98 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Thomas Bryant put forth a good effort for the losing side as he posted a double-double on 19 points and 10 boards along with four blocks. Bryant has double-doubled in each of his past three games. The Wizards have lost all four games they have played in the NBA bubble. 

The No. 9 seed must be within four games of the No. 8 seed following the eight-game regular-season restart to force a play-in tournament. Washington is 7.5 games behind No. 8 Orlando and eight behind No. 7 Brooklyn with four left to play. A loss and an Orlando win on Friday would eliminate Washington from the Eastern Conference playoff race.  

How to make Wizards vs. Pelicans picks

The model has simulated Pelicans vs. Wizards 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning under on the total, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Wizards vs. Pelicans? And which side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Wizards vs. Pelicans spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.