Knicks vs Pelicans

New York’s 22-9 machine arrives in New Orleans riding a two-game win streak and nine wins in its last 11 behind Jalen Brunson’s 29.5 points per night and Karl-Anthony Towns’ 22.3 and 11.9 double-double production, while the Pelicans have dropped three straight after briefly stabilizing with a five-game surge earlier this month. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/ny)) The Knicks are shorthanded on the margins (Josh Hart, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson all ruled out), but their core is intact; New Orleans, meanwhile, is missing defensive ace Herbert Jones and still doesn’t have Dejounte Murray back from his Achilles rehab, putting even more on Zion Williamson and a young supporting cast. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/injuries/_/name/ny)) Brunson just torched this matchup last season (27.5 points and 7.5 assists per game vs the Pelicans, including a 39-point takeover in this building), and Zion has historically answered with big lines of his own against the Knicks (26.0 points, 6.8 boards and 4.5 dimes across four meetings), but New York’s overall talent, form and late-game execution have been far steadier than an 8-25 Pelicans group that’s still searching for consistent lineups. ([statmuse.com](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/jalen-brunson-vs-new-orleans-this-season?utm_source=openai)) At -365, the implied edge is strong but the payout is thin, so backing the Knicks moneyline earns a B+ grade for high likelihood of cashing but only moderate monetary value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/12/2025 09:54 ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/ny))

Zion Williamson’s history of dropping efficient 25+ nights on the Knicks suggests the Pelicans can score, but New Orleans comes into this one on a three-game skid where they’ve averaged roughly 113 points while leaking points late, and the Knicks’ recent surge has come more from halfcourt efficiency than from relentless pace. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/no)) New York’s attack is elite at the top (Brunson at 29.5 PPG and Towns at 22.3 PPG on strong shooting splits), yet Tom Thibodeau’s group still leans on structured offense and a solid defensive backbone rather than getting into 245+ track meets, even with Hart and Robinson sidelined. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/ny)) On the other side, the Pelicans’ offense is heavily dependent on Zion, Trey Murphy III and Derik Queen, but they’re also missing Herb Jones’ transition juice and on-ball creation from Murray, which has tended to flatten their scoring against more disciplined defenses like New York’s; recent Knicks–Pelicans meetings, including last December’s 104–93 Knicks win in this same building, have typically landed well below this inflated 243.5 total. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/no)) With both sides’ current form and injury profiles pointing more toward a high-220s/low-230s environment than the mid-240s, the Under 243.5 at near even money gets a B+ grade for combining a reasonable hit rate with decent price. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/12/2025 09:54 ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/ny))

Trey Murphy III and the Pelicans have quietly found some offensive rhythm during their recent five-game win streak, but three straight losses since then — including back-to-back double-digit defeats to Phoenix and a 23-point blowout in Cleveland — underline how fragile this 8-25 team still is when their shot-making cools or Zion sits. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/no)) The Knicks, conversely, have stacked nine wins in 11 behind a top-heavy core that routinely wins by margin when Brunson and Towns are rolling, though tonight they’ll again be without key role players Hart and Robinson, which trims some of their rebounding and defensive ceiling and introduces late-game backdoor cover risk on a relatively big road number. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/ny)) Even so, Brunson’s history of carving up New Orleans’ backcourt, the Pelicans’ reliance on Zion to carry a shorthanded group missing Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray, and New York’s overall two-way discipline make Knicks -8.5 the side that better matches recent performance and matchup trends, albeit with enough variance in a pure scoring environment that it earns only a B grade rather than elite confidence. ([statmuse.com](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/jalen-brunson-vs-new-orleans-this-season?utm_source=openai)) Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/12/2025 09:54 ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/ny))