Will LeBron make his comeback on the court?

The Lakers and Pelicans face each other for the third time this season. After a narrow home win by LA in the first match-up after overtime, New Orleans returned the favour with a win in the second match-up in front of their own crowd.

However, the home side may now have to play without LeBron James once again. LBJ has been out for three games due to injury after his historic game against OKC last week, when he became the new scoring record holder in NBA history.

LA Lakers – stats & current form

The West Coast hoopsters can’t rely on home court advantage against the Pels. The home side have only won just under half of the 27 games played on home soil. However, newcomer Malik Beasley delivered a strong performance recently.

The guard came to the California franchise from Utah last week and recorded an impressive 22 points in just 21 minutes of playing time in the loss to Portland on the last day of the game.

New Orleans Pelicans – Statistics & current form

The Pels also travel with personnel worries. Their top forward Zion Williamson is still out of action and most recently C.J. McCollum, another strong player, had to miss the game due to injury.

The team from the “Big Easy” is also weak away from home. No more than three teams in the Western Conference have a lower winning percentage away from home than New Orleans, at around 36 per cent.

LA Lakers – New Orleans Pelicans Tip

For the duel between the LA Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, the tip aims for a home win with at least a four-point difference.

The hosts are under a lot of pressure in the battle for the postseason and will be very motivated in front of their own fans.

They will also be hoping for a comeback from LeBron James and newly acquired shooting guard Malik Beasley seems to be acclimatising quickly in LA, as his last performance against Portland showed.

Moreover, the Pels travel with personnel concerns in several positions and are already the fourth-weakest away team in the West.