This is a 10* TOTAL BK on the UNDER Kings/Pelicans.

These teams have been involved in several higher-scoring games of late, but I'm anticipating a much tighter and ultimately lower-scoring battle here on Thursday finally.

The Kings are now 12-13 after back-to-back wins. They've seen the total go OVER in four of their last five, but when they played the Pels last April, they fell here 105-98. While I do think these sides will put a few more points on the board this evening, I'm once again expecting another overall defensive battle in their first matchup this season.

The Pelicans are just 5-20 after their most recent 121-116 loss at San Antonio. Note though that New Orleans has seen the total go UNDER the number in seven of its last ten after playing to five or more straight OVERS in a row.

The Pels continue to struggle with consistency from game-to-game due to several key injuries.

I think this particular contest finally sets up to be much more of a defensive battle than what the oddsmakers are trying to lead us to believe.

The play is the UNDER.

Good luck, NP