The New Orleans Pelicans test the mettle of the Golden State Warriors when they take on the defending champions in their second meeting of the season on Wednesday at the Oracle Arena. The Warriors beat the Pelicans 131-121 also in Oakland.
When we talk about the NBA’s unicorns, we must remember that one of the first ones was Anthony Davis. Known as the Brow, Davis has continued to improve year after year and has become a perennial MVP candidate. This year, the Brow has reigned supreme again as he is third in the league in both scoring and rebounding. In their most recent game, Davis delivered another herculean effort with 46 points against the Clippers.
The Brow is averaging 29.4 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.6 blocks per game to lead the Pelicans again this season. Davis is getting support from Jrue Holiday who is scoring 20.8 points and issuing 8.2 assists per game. Julius Randle is also contributing 20.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in his first season with the Pelicans.
New Orleans is the third highest scoring team in the league at 117.0 points per game. The Pelicans are ranked 4th in passing at 26.9 assists per game and they are also 8th in rebounding at 46.9 boards per contest. However, the Pelicans are only ranked 26th in the NBA in scoring defense at 114.8 points per game allowed.
The Golden State Warriors made a huge statement on Tuesday night when they massacred the Denver Nuggets 142-11 to take the #1 spot in the Western Conference. The Dubs had been struggling to get to the top of the team standings but with the opportunity to overtake the Nuggets came on Tuesday, they capitalized and showed the rest of the league that they are still the team to beat.
Golden State’s three headed offensive attack is led by two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry who is averaging 29.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.28 steals per game. Kevin Durant is chipping in 28.2 points on top of 7.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Klay Thompson is also scoring 21.7 points per game along with 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.
The Warriors are ranked 2nd in the NBA in team scoring at 117.4 points per game and the defending champions are #1 in the league in passing at 28.4 assists per game. The Dubs average 46.2 rebounds per game, putting them at 9th in the league in rebounding. However, the Warriors are only ranked 20th in scoring defense as they’ve allowed their opponents to score 111.7 points per game this season.
The Pelicans are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played and 2-3 SU in their last five road games. Entering Tuesday’s games, the Warriors are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played but only 3-3 SU in their last six home games. Head to head, the Warriors are 8-2 SU in their last 10 encounters against the Pelicans.
Anthony Davis is having another monster season for the Pelicans but the Brow has had to have huge games just for the Pelicans to win games. In their last victory, an impressive road win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Davis had to score 46 points for the Pelicans to win by four points. Julius Randle is having a breakout season in his first year with the Pelicans. The former Lakers forward is currently having a 20-point season and has scored a total of 49 points in his last two games played.
Jrue Holiday and Nikola Mirotic also provide the Pelicans with firepower but when you put this team side by side with the Warriors’ offensive machine, Golden State is still hands down the more prolific scoring team between the two. New Orleans ranks only 26th in scoring defense and against an offensive juggernaut like Golden State, that’s not going to work.
It took this long for the Warriors to go to the top but the point is they are back where they belong. Teams like the Raptors, Bucks,m Nuggets and Thunder are having great seasons but the champs are still the team to beat. It doesn’t help that the Pelicans are just 6-17 on the road. The Dubs may be playing back to back games here but after the shellacking of Denver, expect the Dubs to wax hot again. We’re picking the Golden State Warriors to beat the New Orleans Pelicans on 1/16/19.
The Pelicans are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games played and New Orleans is 2-3 ATS in their last five road games. The Warriors are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games and Golden State is 2-4 ATS in their last six home games. Head to head, the Dubs are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 meetings against the Pelicans.
The Pelicans are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games and 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a home winning record. The Warriors on the other hand have not had success against the spread this season. At home they are only 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games at the Oracle Arena. However, Golden state is 8-2 ATS against New Orleans in their last 10 games in the Bay Area and six points isn’t too much to ask from the Dubs. After all, that’s just two three point baskets to match the spread and a free throw to cover it. I think the Warriors cover this. Prediction: Warriors -6
The over is 23-21 in the Pelicans’ 44 games played so far while the over is also 23-20 in the Warriors’ 43 games played this season. The total has gone over in three out of the last five road games played by New Orleans. The total has gone over in two out of the three home games that the Warriors have played in 2019.
Golden State has averaged 118 points per game in their last 10 home games and 134 points per game in their first three home games of 2019. The Pelicans have averaged 115.2 points per game in their last 10 road games played and 112.75 points per game in 2019. These are two high scoring teams, the 2nd and 3rd most prolific teams in offense. It also helps that both are in the bottom 10 in defense. This should be a very high-scoring affair. Prediction: Over 239.5
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