NBA: Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Golden State Warriors are heading to New Orleans to meet the Pelicans on a second of back-to-back playing nights. They would lose in Dallas against the Mavs on Wednesday but now have a chance to erase that slip and get back to chasing the top spot in the league and the Western Conference. As for the Pelicans, they are in a tough position, with only theoretical chances of reaching the play-in tournament. Zion probably isn’t going to get back to the court this year, and even if he does, it’s questionable how will he play.

Preview

Golden State Warriors (29-8, -275) have the same record as the Suns atop all the standings, and that is why they can’t afford to lose tonight and give a chance to the reigning West champions to break out to the No.1 seed.

The Warriors had an awful night in Dallas, where they lost to the Mavericks, 99-82. It was one of the worst offensive performances of the Warriors this year, as they shot only 17.9% behind the three-point line, 5-for-28.

Steph was 1-for-9, having a terrible night overall, shooting 5-for-24 from the field. He did add nine boards and five assists, but that didn’t cover up for his poor productivity. The top contender for the MVP award ended the game with 14 points. Andrew Wiggins had 17, while Gary Payton II, added 11 points and 11 boards. These three were the only ones with a double-digit number of points in Golden State.

New Orleans Pelicans (13-25, +220) won only one of the past five games against the Cavaliers at home. After that, the Bucks defeated them in Milwaukee, and Jazz and the Suns in Louisiana. The most recent loss to the Suns was 123-110.

Everything was pretty much over in the first quarter once the Pels allowed 42 points while scoring 31. Phoenix’s offense was more than New Orleans could take, and they didn’t have the solution to stop such a diverse game plan.

On the other side, the Suns stopped Brandon Ingram, who had only 16 points, 5-for-18, missing all four hits from the three-point territory. Devonte Graham had a team-high 28 points, while Jonas Valanciunas scored 25 and had 16 boards, continuing to do his job perfectly. Josh Hart had 15 points and 11 rebounds with five assists.

Head to Head Games

The Warriors hosted the Pelicans early in November, smashing them with a 41-point margin, 126-85. Jordan Poole scored 26 points, Curry 19, and Gary Payton 17. On the other side, Valanciunas had 20 buckets with 15 boards and four assists, and the next best thing was Graham, who had 12 points. Ingram didn’t play, just to mention that.

Prediction

The Warriors should bounce back following last night’s loss in Dallas. The key is in Steph’s shooting percentages because he struggled to hit the basket from deep in the past two games. But to be honest, even if he isn’t at the needed level, we are sure that the Warriors have enough quality to beat the Pels, who are without rhythm and chemistry. Our pick here are the Warriors, and we won’t bother you any longer.

Pick: Warriors win

Here is the preview for the Celtics vs. Knicks game