Thursday night in the NBA will feature a Western Conference matchup between the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Warriors-Pelicans prediction and pick.
The Warriors are coming off a horrible loss to the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night. The Mavericks were honoring legend Dirk Nowitzki and it seems like the Mavs played very well the entire night in his honor. You don’t see the Warriors scoring only 82 points in a game. That just doesn't happen. If the circumstances were different, I'm sure we would have seen a different result. The Warriors will play in a back-to-back but against a favorable opponent in the Pelicans. New Orleans is coming off a 123-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns, Tuesday night. The Warriors are still the top seed in the Western Conference while the Pelicans are 14th.
Here are the Warriors-Pelicans NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Warriors-Pelicans Odds
Golden State Warriors: -2.5 (-110)
New Orleans Pelicans: +2.5 (-110)
Over: 213 (-110)
Under: 213 (-110)
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Why The Warriors Could Cover The Spread
I'm actually shocked the spread is this tight for the Warriors. This is the top seed in the West going up against the second-worst. You would think the Warriors would be favored by at least five points. Either way, we all know how Golden State can cover this spread. We just need to know how healthy they will be. The Warriors are without Klay Thompson for just a little bit longer, but James Wiseman, Andre Iguodala, and Otto Porter Jr. are all currently out with injuries. Golden State rested Porter Jr. against the Mavericks so we will see if he suits up Thursday night. They could certainly use his veteran presence right about now.
Curry is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 26.8 points per game. He is on a tear and there isn't anything a defense can do. The Warriors are 16-5 against the West this year and they don't seem to really be slowing down (besides last night). If the Warriors come out and dominant the Pelicans then there should be no reason to be concerned.
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread
In my opinion, the Pelicans are going to have a hard time covering this spread. New Orleans should not be able to compete with the Warriors, especially right now. The Warriors won the first matchup but the Pelicans' defense is a problem right now. In their last 10 games, they are 5-5 and are allowing 113 points per game. That is not a good sign knowing that Steph Curry is about to enter the building.
This is going to take an all-out effort from the entire team. Brandon Ingram is leading the way with 22.2 points per game. They are seeing great play out of point guard Devonte Graham who is averaging 14.3 points per game. Jonas Valanciunas is also having a great season averaging a double-double, 18.9 points, and 12 rebounds per game. Those three are going to be the main factor for the Pelicans while Zion Williamson is still absent. They will need to contain Curry and hope their defense shows up.
Final Warriors-Pelicans Prediction & Pick
This should be an easy decision. With the spread this low, there is no way I'm taking a 14-seed to beat the 1-seed. I'm not sure why the Warriors aren't favored by more, so with that being said hammer the Warriors. Take the over in this as well as I'm sure it will be a high-scoring affair with the lack of defense on both sides.
Final Warriors-Pelicans Prediction & Pick: Warriors -2.5 (-110) & over: 213 (-110)
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