Pelicans at Kings: Best Prop Bets for Friday 4/3/26

Zach Thompson details his top player prop picks for the Pelicans-Kings matchup.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 9:39pm

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A fragmented, geometric painting in bold, clashing colors depicts the motion and intensity of a basketball game, with player forms broken down into abstract shapes and planes.An abstract, cubist-inspired illustration captures the dynamic energy of a late-season NBA matchup between young, emerging players.Atlanta Today

Zach Thompson previews his best player prop bets for Friday night's NBA matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings. The Pelicans are 5.5-point road favorites with a total of 234.5 points. Thompson highlights prop bets for Nique Clifford, Tari Jones, Maxime Raynaud, and Dyson Queen as part of a potential same-game parlay.

Why it matters

With both teams out of playoff contention, this late-season Western Conference matchup provides an opportunity to evaluate young talent and see which players can step up with key contributors sidelined. The prop bets highlighted offer ways for bettors to capitalize on potential production from role players and promising rookies.

The details

Thompson suggests taking the over on Nique Clifford's 3-pointers prop, as the Kings' rookie has been aggressive from deep lately and could see an expanded role with Malik Monk potentially out. He also likes the over on Tari Jones' points prop, as the Pelicans guard has been scoring in double figures consistently. On the other side, Thompson is fading Maxime Raynaud's points prop, as the Kings' rookie center's role has diminished somewhat. Finally, he highlights Dyson Queen's points prop as a potential same-game parlay piece, as the Pelicans rookie has been productive when given the chance.

  • The Pelicans and Kings tip off at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday, April 3, 2026.
  • The Pelicans are playing the second game of a back-to-back after losing to the Trail Blazers on Thursday.

The players

Nique Clifford

A rookie forward for the Sacramento Kings who has moved into the starting lineup in 13 of his last 14 games, averaging 11.9 points and 1.4 3-pointers made per game during that stretch.

Tari Jones

A guard for the New Orleans Pelicans who has averaged 10.0 points per game over his last 13 contests, including a 16-point performance against the Raptors.

Maxime Raynaud

A rookie center for the Sacramento Kings who has been averaging 11.9 points and 26.1 minutes per game this season, but has struggled to reach his scoring prop in three of his last four outings.

Dyson Queen

A rookie forward for the New Orleans Pelicans who has scored at least 11 points in four straight games and could see increased playing time in this matchup.

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What they’re saying

“Clifford has helped pick up some of the slack lately for the Kings and has moved into the starting lineup in 13 of his last 14 games. He has averaged 1.4 3PM during that stretch and scored 11.9 points in 33.4 minutes per game.”

— Zach Thompson, Author

“Jones scored nine points against the Trail Blazers on Thursday in 26 minutes, but he reached double-digit points in nine of his previous 13 games. He averaged only 10.0 points per game over those 13 contests, since his games under were very far under.”

— Zach Thompson, Author

What’s next

The Pelicans and Kings will face off on Friday, April 3, 2026 at 10:10 p.m. ET. This will be the final game of the NBA's nine-game Friday night slate.

The takeaway

With both the Pelicans and Kings out of playoff contention, this late-season matchup provides an opportunity to evaluate young talent and see which role players can step up with key contributors sidelined. The prop bets highlighted offer bettors ways to potentially capitalize on production from emerging players on each side.