NBA Betting – G.S. Warriors at N.O. Pelicans

Golden State Warriors (-4, 205.5 o/u) at New Orleans Pelicans

With six games left in the schedule, the New Orleans Pelicans (41-35, 25-13 Home) hope to make a late run for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Though they sit just half a game back of the Thunder for the final postseason berth, the Pelicans have an uphill climb ahead of them, facing several top teams down the stretch.

The tough schedule starts tonight with a clash against the best team in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors (63-14, 28-12 Away), at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (8:00 PM Eastern).

New Orleans had been on a roll, winning four straight over Sacramento (twice), Minnesota, and the L.A. Lakers. But the streak came to an end in their last outing with a 99-90 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Pelicans were dominated on the boards, getting out-rebounded 51-35 by the Blazers.

While the team is happy to be back at home, they also know that facing the Warriors brings unique challenges, no matter the court. “They have the best record in the league, but we’ve got to take care of home at the end of the day,” Pelicans guard Eric Gordon said. “You’re not going to be able to cover everything on the court, but you’re got to limit them and spread them out.”

Golden State has already clinched the best record in the West, but saw its 12-game win streak come to an end on Sunday with a 107-92 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Klay Thompson had a rare off-night for the Warriors, going just 3-11 from the floor and failing to connect on a single three (0-3).

The Warriors don’t have much to play for in the standings, but coach Steve Kerr wants his team to end the year on a high-note and round into top form for the playoffs.

“I reminded them that there’s another level to get to,” said Kerr after the loss. “We’ve got to get better; we’ve got to keep improving. We’ve got five games to get better and then we should try to get better with every playoff game as well.”

The Warriors are currently four-point favorites for tonight’s game. Looking at the trends, Golden State has dominated lately, winning the last ten in a row and covering the spread in seven. With the Warriors motivated to shake off a rare loss, look for Curry and co. to cover on the road.

(Photo credit: Noah Salzman (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)