New Orleans Pelicans vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction and Betting Tips - Dec. 23 | 2025-26 NBA Season

The New Orleans Pelicans will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in one of 14 NBA games scheduled for Tuesday. This will be the first meeting of the 2025-26 season between the teams.

The Cavaliers have been unable to recapture the form that saw them finish atop the Eastern Conference last season with a 64-18 record. This season, Cleveland (16-14) finds itself holding seventh place through 30 games.

Donovan Mitchell continues to be the lead contributor, averaging 30.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Evan Mobley has also been solid, averaging 19.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 1.6 bpg.

The Pelicans (8-22), meanwhile, seem to be in for another season of struggles. New Orleans is 13th in the Western Conference. However, the team has shown signs of life and is currently on a five-game winning streak.

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Zion Williamson has missed time due to injuries this season, but is solid when active, averaging 21.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg. Trey Murphy III’s emergence has been a nice surprise for the team. He is averaging 21.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 3.5 apg this season.

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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game details

The Pelicans-Cavaliers game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Rocket Arena. Fans can catch the live broadcast of the matchup on FDSOH, Gulf Coast Sports and Pelicans+. Alternatively, the game can be streamed with NBA League Pass and FuboTV.

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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Cleveland Cavaliers betting lines

Moneyline: Pelicans (+300) vs. Cavaliers (-380)

Spread: Pelicans (+9.5) vs. Cavaliers (-9.5)

Total (O/U): Pelicans (o240.5) -112 vs. Cavaliers (u240.5) -108

Note: Odds are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change closer to tipoff.

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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview

The New Orleans Pelicans have had the upper hand in this rivalry, although the Cleveland Cavaliers have kept things close. The Pelicans have won 26 out of 49 regular-season games between the teams. Cleveland has won its last three games against New Orleans, with the Pelicans yet to grab a win since Dec. 21, 2023.

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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Cleveland Cavaliers predicted starting lineups

Pelicans

G: Jeremiah Fears | G: Trey Murphy III | F: Micah Peavy | F: Zion Williamson | C: Derik Queen

Cavaliers

G: Darius Garland | G: Donovan Mitchell | F: Jaylon Tyson | F: Dean Wade | C: Jarrett Allen

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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Cleveland Cavaliers betting tips

Donovan Mitchell has an over/under of 29.5 for Tuesday’s game, which is slightly below his season average of 30.7 ppg. He has also been in solid form, averaging 31.2 ppg in his last five matchups. Taking the over is the safer bet.

Trey Murphy III, meanwhile, has an over/under of 19.5 against the Cavaliers. This is also lower than Murphy’s scoring average of 21.2 ppg this season. Moreover, he has scored 19.8 ppg in his last five matchups, making the over the safe bet for Tuesday’s game.

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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Cleveland Cavaliers prediction

Bookmakers have the Cavaliers as heavy favorites to win Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans. While Cleveland has been the better team this season, New Orleans has a lot of momentum fueling its five-game win streak. An upset could be in the books at Rocket Arena.

Our prediction: The Pelicans to win.

Edited by Sameer Khan