The New Orleans Pelicans get set to take on the Toronto Raptors Monday night inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. They tip it off at 8:00 pm.

Bookmaker has installed the Pelicans as a huge 10.5-point favorite clash. 

The Pelicans have won two straight after a brief three-game losing streak. They are sitting at five games over .500 on the season. They still have a ton of time to get on a run, and position themselves better for a playoff run. 

They are led by power forward Zion Williamson who is netting a team-high 22.5 points per game to go along with just over 5.5 rebounds per night. He has shown he can stay healthy and on the floor and has been a big-time player this season. The knock on him has always been his availability and this season he has made it a point to be out there and contribute to his team. 

New Orleans believes he is the key to their offense and the second option has been a decent one in veteran Brandon Ingram who is playing some of the best hoops of his career. He has played in 45 games this season and he is averaging around 21 a game to go along with 5.6 assists per contest. He has really taken control on the floor and will look to push the ball and play uptempo to try to catch the Raptors off guard. 

The Raptors have been a very inconsistent team this season and it has shown in their play and in their record. They have dropped six out of their last seven overall as they entered play on Sunday night. 

However, they are over ten-plus games under .500 on the season. They have an uphill climb to get back to a solid record and they are most likely going to miss the playoffs.

On offense, they are led by shooting guard RJ Barrett who has played well since coming over in a trade from the New York Knicks. He is averaging 21 a game but he has also been dealing with a bad knee. If he can not go the Raptors are going to miss a significant chunk of their offense. 

Small forward Scottie Barnes has been a nice role player for Toronto, as he is giving his squad 20 points a night and is also the floor general. 

Overall, they are connecting on close to 54% from the floor, including 36% from beyond the arc. They are a streaky team when it comes to knocking down shots from three-point land and if they can get going from that spot, they can keep this game close. 

The Pelicans are 2-3 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number. They are also 13-11 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in just one of their last five games and 11 out of their last 24 games at home. 

The Raptors are 1-4 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number too. They are a solid 12-12 in their road games against the spread.