Warriors vs. Pelicans Prediction
With two victories on their home floor, the Golden State Warriors take to the road tonight for Game 3 at the upset-minded New Orleans Pelicans. Will Golden State prove to be too dominant as the favorite again tonight?
Game Snapshot
513 Golden State Warriors at 514 New Orleans Pelicans
Friday, May 4, 2018
Smoothie King Center at 8PM ET
TV: ESPN
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Warriors are a 4.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under sits at 232 points. As of Friday morning, 64 percent of public bets are coming in on visiting Golden State. Check out our NBA Public Betting Page for the latest information.
Curry’s return a success
Warriors star point guard Steph Curry returned from a knee injury that kept him out six weeks, playing 27 minutes off the bench and pouring in 28 points in the 121-116 home win over the Pelicans. He shot 8-of-15 from the floor including 5-of-10 from 3-point range while canning all seven of his free throw attempts in the win. He also had seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. While some rust was evident with his six turnovers, it is clearly that as long as Curry is healthy he is back to being a force to be reckoned with.
Davis, Holiday, Rondo all score 20-plus
Despite the loss, there was some reason for encouragement in the New Orleans camp as it only lost by five points as opposed to 22 points in Game 1. Power forward Anthony Davis turned in another fine performance with 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and two steals. Shooting guard Jrue Holiday contributed 24 points, eight boards, eight assists, one steal and one block. Point guard Rajon Rondo added 22 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and five steals. If New Orleans can get that kind of production from its core at home, a win could very likely be in the cards.
NBA Betting Trends
Golden State
The over is 4-1 in the last five Warriors games following a straight up win. The over is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
New Orleans
The over is 4-1 in the last four meetings in New Orleans. The over is 4-0 in the last four Pelicans games overall.
Prediction:
It was encouraging to see New Orleans play so tough in a hostile environment with Curry back in the lineup, but it might be tougher tonight with the Warriors getting back in their comfort zone. Curry will probably rejoin the starting lineup tonight and his minutes could potentially go up. Even at home, this doesn’t seem like an ideal situation for the Pelicans as Golden State appears focused and with sights set on big goals.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS -4.5