The Golden State Warriors will travel to the Smoothie King Center to challenge the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Action begins at 9:30 pm ET on Thursday, Apr. 23 and can be seen on TNT and FSN-NO.
The Pelicans are hoping for a better outcome after their 97-87 loss to the Warriors on Monday. Despite the loss, Anthony Davis earned his 42nd double-double this season with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Klay Thompson was the team’s top scorer, registering 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
It’s a matchup of two different tempos, as the fast-paced Warriors (ranked first in the NBA in possessions per game) square off against the methodical Pelicans (28th).
The odds for New Orleans and Golden State are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Pelicans have gone 45-37 Straight Up (SU) and 46-36 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 29-23 SU and 30-22 ATS against the Western Conference.
Over on the other bench, the Warriors have 67-15 SU and 47-34-1 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Golden State is 42-10 SU and 32-20 ATS. The Warriors convert their shots at a high percentage, leading the league at .478. The Warriors are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking second in the NBA at 1.94. Shifting to the other side of the court, blocking shots is an area where Golden State has excelled. The Warriors average 6.0 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the league. Golden State is the best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 19.5 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Golden State beat New Orleans, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 9-1. Furthermore, the Warriors hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1. Over the last 10 matchups, Golden State held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times. New Orleans performed this feat once.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
Notes
Golden State’s offense and New Orleans’ defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Golden State scores an average of 0.0 points per game, while New Orleans gives up 0.0 points per game.
Golden State and New Orleans are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Golden State puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while New Orleans allows 0.0 points at home on average.
Golden State has a perfect 40-0 record when opponents score fewer than 100 points. The Pelicans do not fare well when they score under 100, earning an 11-27 record in such contests.
When the Warriors give up at least 100 points to their opponent, they are 27-15. When the Pelicans hit the century mark, they also have a winning record (34-10).
The Pelicans have a defensive rating of 104.4 (ranked 22nd), while the Warriors rank second for their offensive rating of 108.6.
The New Orleans Pelicans have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with a FG% of 45.7%. The Golden State Warriors have a solid 14-9 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
In comparison to the rest of the league, the New Orleans Pelicans see similar results in both field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage, ranking 10th for both metrics. The Golden State Warriors also rank the same for both FG% and EFF%, coming in at first.
Golden State ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.94 (ranked second). New Orleans is ranked eighth, with an A/TO of 1.75 this season.
The New Orleans Pelicans rebound 43.5 times per game and are ranked 16th. Ranked sixth, the Golden State Warriors rebound 44.7 times per game.
The Golden State Warriors rank 23rd in offensive rebounding, while the New Orleans Pelicans rank 19th in defensive rebounding.
Golden State has forced one of the highest average turnover rates this season with 15.3% (ranked sixth). In games where their turnover rate is 15.3% or higher, New Orleans is an even 11-11.