The Golden State Warriors visit the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 25 and will air on ESPN and FSN-NO.
The Pelicans were beaten by the Warriors 97-87 the last time they played. Anthony Davis played well in the loss for New Orleans, recording 26 points and 11 rebounds to earn his 42nd double-double of the season. Klay Thompson led the team in scoring with 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
It will be a tale of two tempos, as the fast-breaking Warriors (ranked first in the league in possessions per game) take on the slow-paced Pelicans (28th).
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Pelicans enter the game with records of 45-37 Straight Up (SU) and 46-36 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 29-23 SU and 30-22 ATS against teams from the Western Conference.
On the other side, the Warriors head into the game with records of 47-34-1 ATS and 67-15 SU. Golden State has a record of 42-10 SU and 32-20 ATS against the West. The Warriors are shooting lights out so far, with an NBA-best .478 field-goal percentage. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Warriors. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.94. When it comes to defending the rim, the Warriors are one of the best in the league with an average of 6.0 blocks per game. A large part of Golden State’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 19.5 points per game off turnovers, which ranks first in the league.
Following the Warriors’ latest win over New Orleans, their SU record rises to 9-1 over the Pelicans in the last 10 games. Additionally, with a 5-4-1 record, the Warriors have the advantage ATS. Golden State has held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) three times over the last 10, while New Orleans accomplished this once.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
Notes
Both Golden State and New Orleans rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Golden State scores 0.0 points per game, while New Orleans allows 0.0.
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 gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
The Golden State Warriors sit undefeated (40-0) in games in which their opponent scores fewer than 100 points. Conversely, the New Orleans Pelicans have a losing 11-27 record when they don’t put up at least 100 points.
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.
New Orleans has an average field goal percentage of 45.7%, 10th-ranked in the NBA. Golden State is a solid 14-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
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.
The Golden State Warriors are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.94 (ranked second). Ranking eighth, the New Orleans Pelicans have an A/TO of 1.75.
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.
