NBA Playoff Betting – (8) Pelicans at (1) Warriors (Game 2)

New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors (-11, 205 o/u)

Despite a late run from the visitors, Game 1 between the New Orleans Pelicans (0-1, 0-1 away) and Golden State Warriors (1-0, 1-0 home) was never really in doubt. The Warriors led by as many as 25 in the third quarter and held off a late charge from the Pelicans for a 106-99 win. Anthony Davis and company will look to get off to a better start in Game 2 tonight at Oracle Arena in Oakland (10:30 PM Eastern).

But stealing a game in California is going to be a monumental challenge. Golden State had the best home record in the NBA during the regular season, losing just twice at Oracle all year (once against the San Antonio Spurs and once against the Chicago Bulls in overtime). Making matters worse, Pelicans point guard Tyreke Evans – who left Game 1 early – is questionable for tonight’s game.

The good news for New Orleans is that Davis, who emerged as one of the best all-around players in the NBA this year, continued to develop in his first career playoff game, scoring 35 points and adding seven boards and two blocks.

“It’s definitely a different level, different atmosphere,” said Davis of the nature of playoff basketball. “Calls are different. Guys been scouting you, they know your moves. It’s very different. But this is what you come to the league for, to get playoff experience and eventually get to the Finals and win a ring. But it starts here.

“My first playoff experience, it was pretty hectic. So much going on, it was so loud I couldn’t hear my teammates, my coaches. We started off bad as a team and picked it up as a team when we all got calm.”

For the Warriors, it was the same old story. Steph Curry had 34 points and five dimes to lead the team and shot over 50-percent from the floor (13-25).

“I was locked in and focused the whole night,” Curry said. “In those situations, you want to get the crowd back into it. There’s a weird kind of tension, especially in the second half when they made a couple runs. But in the playoffs, you have to expect anything. And whenever you’re on the floor, just try to make an impact.”

The Pelicans covered the spread in the first game as 12.5-point dogs, but they’ve beaten the Warriors straight-up just once in the last ten games. There isn’t a lot of value in the Golden State moneyline (-1000), but keep an eye on the status of Evans. If he can’t go tonight, the Warriors minus the points (-11) looks like the better play.

(Photo credit: Keith Allison (flickr) “Stephen Curry” [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/]. Photo has been cropped.)