New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards Prediction, 1/9/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards

Date: Friday, January 9, 2026

Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, DC

TV: Monumental Sports Network

The New Orleans Pelicans (8-31) are on their way to Capital One Arena on Friday where they will play the Washington Wizards (10-26).

The Pelicans played the Hawks and took a loss by a score of 117-100 in their last contest. New Orleans wrapped up the game having earned a 44.2% FG percentage (38 of 86) and buried 8 of their 28 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Pelicans made 16 of their 25 attempts for a percentage of 64.0%. In regard to grabbing boards, they earned 40 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 26 dimes for the contest while creating 21 turnovers and getting 13 steals. When talking about defending, New Orleans allowed their opponent to shoot 46.3% from the field on 44 out of 95 shooting. Atlanta doled out 30 dimes and had 13 steals in this game. In addition, Atlanta totaled 49 rebounds (11 offensive, 38 defensive) and earned 9 rejections. Atlanta finished the contest at 64.7% at the free throw line by making 11 of their 17 attempts. They also converted 18 of 47 tries from 3-point land. In the matter of personal fouls, the Pelicans ended up with 15 while the Hawks finished the game with 19 personal fouls.

Zion Williamson is a player who was a major factor for this game. Williamson finished the contest at 66.7% from the field and also dished out 6 assists. He was on the hardwood for 31 minutes and also snagged 8 rebounds. He recorded 22 points on 10 of 15 shooting.

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New Orleans will take the court with a win-loss record of 8-31 on the year. They cough up possession 14.7 times per game and as a unit are committing 20.2 fouls every game. As a team, New Orleans is grabbing 43.3 rebounds per game and has 966 assists so far this year, which is 17th in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Pelicans are hitting 33.7% from downtown (417 of 1,239) and 78.3% from the free throw line. They are averaging 114.5 points per outing (22nd in the NBA) while hitting 46.0% from the field.

Defensively, the Pelicans are forcing their opponents into 15.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.9 fouls. They give up 35.9% on three-point shots and they are ranked 28th in basketball in PPG from their opponents (122.7). The Pelicans defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 48.6% (1,739 of 3,575) and they relinquish 45.8 boards per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 30th in basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,142 conceded for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Wizards took a loss by a score of 131-110 when they faced the 76ers. In the matter of how they attacked the glass, Washington allowed Philadelphia to get 34 in all (7 offensive). They finished 37.8% from 3-point land by shooting 14 out of 37 and ended up shooting 27 of 32 from the free throw line (84.4%). The Wizards permitted the 76ers to make 45 of 84 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 53.6% for this game. When the final whistle blew, the Wizards finished shooting 43 for 87 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.4%. Regarding shooting from beyond the arc, Washington knocked down 13 of 33 tries (39.4%). They were able to bury 11 of them for a rate of 100.0%. The 76ers were called for 11 fouls for this game which got the Wizards to the charity stripe for 11 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 22 times, while earning 7 steals for the game. The Wizards were able to pull down 31 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 42 in the game.

Tre Johnson ended up being a factor for the Wizards for this contest. He converted 8 out of 13 in this game for a field goal percentage of 61.5%, and had 5 rebounds. Johnson earned 20 points in his 28 mins on the hardwood and totaled 3 dimes for this game.

Washington has a win-loss mark of 10-26 on the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Wizards are hitting on 46.4% from the floor, which ranks them 20th in basketball. Washington has totaled 4,086 pts for the year (113.5 per game) and they average 44.2 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 25.4 times per game (18th in the NBA) and they are turning it over 15.7 times per contest. The Wizards are responsible for committing 21.8 personal fouls per game and they shoot 77.2% from the charity stripe.

The Wizards defensively are ranked 29th in the league in points allowed per contest with 124.2. They are forcing their opponents into 12.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 47.2% from the field (18th in the NBA). The Washington defense allows 36.5% on shots from beyond the arc (516 of 1,414) and opponents are knocking down 79.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They have given up 28.9 dimes and 47.9 boards every game, which is ranked 28th and 30th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans

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