Pelicans vs. Warriors Prediction
The New Orleans Pelicans were very impressive in the first round as they scored a series upset by sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers. Now against a much more difficult foe in the Warriors, can New Orleans steal a Game 1 victory tonight at Golden State?
Game Snapshot
551 New Orleans Pelicans at 552 Golden State Warriors
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Oracle Arena at 10:30PM ET
TV: TNT
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Warriors are a 9-point favorite on the spread line. The total sits at 224 points. As of Saturday morning, 55 percent of public bets have sided with visiting New Orleans. Check out our NBA Public Betting Pages for up-to-date information.
Curry to return for Game 1?
Golden State point guard Steph Curry has been out of action since March 23 when teammate JaVale McGee landed awkwardly on his knee, sidelining yet again. But Curry has been practicing with the Warriors this week and participated in a recent scrimmage, putting his status as questionable for tonight’s Game 1. He averaged 26.4 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds during the regular season playing in 51 games. His return would be a huge welcome for Golden State, which showed some vulnerabilities in his absence. The game spread appears to be leaning toward Curry returning, but make sure to check social media as today progresses for updates on his status.
New Orleans comes in red-hot
The Pelicans were the underdog in their series with the Trail Blazers, but they hardly looked like it in sweeping four games. Portland had few answers for a New Orleans offense led by Anthony Davis, while the Pelicans have also shown improved defense in the latter stages of the season. Davis averaged 33 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.8 steals and 1.3 assists in the four games against the Blazers. He could put up similar numbers against the Warriors as he’ll be used extensively as the go-to option.
NBA Betting Trends
New Orleans
The Pelicans are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games. The over is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.
Golden State
The Warriors are 5-1 ATS in their last six Saturday games. Golden State is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games following a straight up win.
Prediction:
Even with Curry back (and that isn’t a sure thing yet), this spread seems a bit high. New Orleans is 2-2 ATS the spread againast the Warriors this season, with the only matchup since the calendar turned being a 126-120 win by New Orleans at Golden State on April 7. With the Pelicans playing at such a high level right now, I feel good about getting nine points with them.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS PELICANS +9