Washington Wizards vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 3/8/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Washington Wizards vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Gulf Coast Sports

The Washington Wizards (16-46) are on their way to Smoothie King Center on Sunday where they will take on the New Orleans Pelicans (20-44).

The Wizards faced the Jazz and took a loss by a score of 122-112 in their last game. Washington ended the game with a 46.8% field goal percentage (36 out of 77) and converted 18 out of their 42 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Wizards buried 22 of their 32 tries for a percentage of 68.8%. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 43 with 15 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 22 assists in the matchup while forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In reference to defense, Washington allowed their opponent to shoot 51.1% from the field on 47 of 92 shooting. Utah dished out 31 assists and had 12 steals for the game. Furthermore, Utah grabbed 45 rebounds (17 offensive, 28 defensive) and got 1 block. Utah finished 72.2% when shooting free throws by knocking down 13 of their 18 tries. They also made 15 of 35 attempts from beyond the arc. When it comes to fouls, the Wizards walked away with 20 while the Jazz finished the game with 22 fouls.

Julian Reese is a player who was a factor for this contest. Reese finished the contest at 71.4% from the field and totaled 2 assists. He played 38 minutes and also totaled 20 boards. He walked away with 18 points on 5 of 7 shooting.

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Washington enters this one with a win-loss record of 16-46 on the year. They have an average of 112.2 points per game (25th in basketball) while shooting 45.9% from the floor. The Wizards are shooting 35.5% from downtown (796 of 2,241) and 76.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Washington is collecting 43.0 rebounds per game and has earned 1,553 dimes this season, which ranks 24th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 15.5 times per contest and as a unit they commit 20.9 personal fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Wizards are able to force 13.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They concede 36.7% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 29th in the league in points per game allowed (123.0). The Wizards defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 47.9% (2,740 of 5,722) and they surrender 47.9 boards per game as a squad. They are 28th in basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,784 surrendered this season.

When they last played, the Pelicans got the win with a final of 133-123 when they faced the Kings. The Pelicans were able to pull down 38 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards totaling 52 in the game. They also turned it over 12 times, while recording 7 steals for the matchup. The Kings were called for 19 personal fouls for the game which got the Pelicans to the charity stripe for 27 attempts. They were able to knock down 23 of them for a percentage of 85.2%. When discussing shooting from downtown, New Orleans made 12 out of 34 tries (35.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Pelicans finished shooting 49 out of 98 from the field which had them sitting at 50.0%. The Pelicans permitted the Kings to convert 50 out of 99 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.5% for the game. They finished shooting 25.8% from 3-point land by shooting 8 of 31 and ended up shooting 15 of 23 at the free throw line (65.2%). In reference to rebounding, New Orleans allowed Sacramento to snag 42 overall (10 on the offensive side).

Zion Williamson was important for the Pelicans in the game. He made 10 out of 14 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 71.4%, and earned 9 rebounds. Williamson scored 23 points in his 29 mins of playing time and had 5 dimes in the matchup.

New Orleans has a win-loss record of 20-44 this year. The Pelicans have committed 20.0 personal fouls every game and they hit 78.7% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 25.2 times per contest (22nd in the league) and they cough up possession 14.4 times per contest. New Orleans has tallied 7,369 pts on the year (115.1 per contest) and they pull down 43.9 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Pelicans are connecting on 46.4% from the field, which ranks them 19th in the NBA.

The New Orleans defense gives up 34.9% on shots from 3-point land (915 of 2,619) and opponents are converting on 78.0% of their foul shots. They have allowed 28.0 dimes and 45.7 boards per contest, which is 27th and 25th in the league. The Pelicans defensively are ranked 27th in basketball in PPG given up with 120.2. They are forcing 14.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 47.7% from the field (24th in the league).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Washington

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