Hawks vs. Pelicans Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Sunday, Nov. 3

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Atlanta Hawks-New Orleans Pelicans matchup on Sunday.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans made a major trade this past offseason, with Atlanta sending Dejounte Murray to NOLA, but the Pelicans haven’t been able to reap the benefits just yet.

Murray broke his hand in the first game of the 2024-25 season, and a litany of other injuries have put the Pels in a tough spot at 3-3 through six games. 

Can their makeshift rotation compete with an Atlanta team that has dropped four games in a row after a 2-0 start?

Oddsmakers have the Pels favored at home, but this is expected to be a close matchup. 

Let’s dive into the odds, key players to watch and my best bet for Sunday’s contest. 

Hawks vs. Pelicans Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Hawks +3.5 (-108)
• Pelicans -3.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Hawks: +142
• Pelicans: -170

Total

• 230.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Hawks vs. Pelicans How to Watch

• Date: Sunday, Nov. 3
• Time: 7:00 p.m. EST 
• Venue: Smoothie King Center
• How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports
• Hawks record: 2-4
• Pelicans record: 3-3

Hawks vs. Pelicans Injury Reports

Hawks Injury Report

• Bogdan Bogdanovic – out
• De’Andre Hunter – out
• Seth Lundy – out
• Vit Krejci – out
• Cody Zeller – out
• Kobe Bufkin – out
• Dyson Daniels – questionable
• Mouhamed Gueye – out

Pelicans Injury Report

• CJ McCollum – out
• Dejounte Murray – out
• Jordan Hawkins – questionable
• Herb Jones – out
• Trey Murphy III – out

Hawks vs. Pelicans Key Players to Watch

Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young: With Dejounte Murray now in New Orleans, everything in Atlanta has run through Young this season. The All-Star point guard is averaging 27.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 11.7 assists per game, but he’s shooting just 39.8 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from 3. 

New Orleans Pelicans 

Brandon Ingram: The Pelicans don’t have much depth right now with all the injuries they’re dealing with, which means Brandon Ingram has to take on a bigger scoring and playmaking load night in and night out. So far this season, Ingram, who is in a contract year, is averaging 23.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. 

Hawks vs. Pelicans Prediction and Pick

With so many players banged up on both sides and the Hawks really struggling defensively (28th in defensive rating), I’m eyeing a prop bet in this matchup. 

I broke down a play for Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado in today’s Peter’s Points, my NBA Best Bets column for SI Betting: 

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado has been thrust into the starting lineup over the last two games with Herb Jones, CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III all sidelined.

The veteran point guard has delivered with 16 and 12 points in those games while attempting 12.5 field goal attempts per game. 

This bet is strictly a volume play. The Pels have a limited bench – featuring a lot of two-way players right now – with all of the injuries, and Alvarado has played 35 and 32 minutes in his last two contests.

This prop is a little low for him in my eyes against an Atlanta team that ranks 28th in the league in defensive rating this season. 

Pick: Jose Alvarado OVER 10.5 Points (-130)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.