The New Orleans Pelicans (45-37) will have their chance to bring down the league’s top team when they take on the Golden State Warriors (67-15) at ORACLE Arena. The game starts at 3:30 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 18 and will air on ABC.
The Warriors beat the Nuggets 133-126 on Wednesday. Klay Thompson was the game’s high scorer with 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 108-103 win over the Spurs on Wednesday. Tyreke Evans played well and claimed his 18th double-double of the season, recording 19 points and 11 assists.
This game should be a battle of contrasting styles. The Warriors (ranked first in the league in possessions per game) prefer an up-tempo style of play, while the Pelicans (28th) are more half-court-oriented.
The Warriors have won three out of four against the Pelicans this season, but dropped their most recent game, a close 103-100 loss. Anthony Davis played a big role with 29 points and 10 rebounds.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Warriors enter the game with records of 67-15 Straight Up (SU) and 47-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 42-10 SU and 32-20 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Over their past 10 games, Golden State’s offense has been playing lights out, averaging 111.0 points per game, well over their season average of 0.0. The Warriors have the top-ranked offense in terms of FG%, shooting .478 from the floor. The Warriors, sporting the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.94), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Golden State’s defense is doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 106.6 points per game, well above their season average of 0.0. An area where the Warriors are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 6.0 blocks per game, second in the NBA. If its opponents turn the ball over, Golden State has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 19.5 points off turnovers, making them the top team in the league for that category.
On the other side, the Pelicans head into the game with records of 46-36 ATS and 45-37 SU. New Orleans has a record of 29-23 SU and 30-22 ATS against the West. New Orleans has been playing better lately, averaging 100.3 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 0.0. New Orleans’s defense has allowed an average of 97.1 points per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 0.0.
Following the Pelicans’ latest win over Golden State, New Orleans is still behind in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, 1-9 SU. Additionally, with a 7-2-1 record, the Warriors have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Golden State held the edge in all three of these categories three times in the last 10 meetings. New Orleans did so once.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
Notes
Both New Orleans and Golden State rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. New Orleans scores 0.0 points per game, while Golden State gives up 0.0.
New Orleans and Golden State are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. New Orleans scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Golden State gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a solid 31-14 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Golden State Warriors are 8-6 when they score less than 100.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a poor 14-23 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Golden State Warriors are 59-9 when they hit the century mark.
The Warriors have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 98.6. The Pelicans’s offense ranks a solid ninth, with an offensive rating of 105.3.
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 winning 14-9 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
In comparison to the rest of the league, the Golden State Warriors see similar results in both field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage, ranking first for both metrics. The New Orleans Pelicans also rank the same for both FG% and EFF%, coming in at 10th.
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 Golden State Warriors rebound 44.7 times per game and are ranked sixth. Ranked 16th, the New Orleans Pelicans rebound 43.5 times per game.
The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the best offensive rebounding teams, currently ranked 10th for the season. The Golden State Warriors rank near the very top of the league (fourth) 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.
