The NBA Playoffs continue on Monday night and I will have a free pick in the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors, which will take place at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The game has a start time of 10:30 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on TNT. Current Vegas betting odds have Golden State listed as 11 point favorites, while the total is set at 203.5.
Analysis: The Pelicans made it to the Playoffs on the last day of the season when they beat the San Antonio Spurs at home and while they did lose game 1 they showed heart coming back from a huge deficit in the 4th quarter to lose by just 7. New Orleans is now 45-38 overall this year, including 17-25 on the road. New Orleans has gone 17-8 ATS in their last 25 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, but just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games. The Pelicans have been an average offensive team this year, ranking 16th in scoring (99.4 ppg), 10th in shooting, 4th in 3 point shooting and 17th in FT shooting. Defensively the Pelicans have been decent this year, ranking 11th in points allowed (98.6 ppg), 23rd in defensive FG% and 2nd in 3 point defense.
The Warriors have really been the best team in the NBA all year and and for most of game 1 vs the Pelicans they showed it as the consistently had a lead of 16+ for much of it, before the Pelicans made a run in the 4th quarter. The Warriors are now 40-2 at home after their game 1 win. Golden State has gone 15-3 ATS in their last 18 Conference Quarterfinals games, but 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. win. The Warriors have been a very good offensive team this year, ranking 1st in scoring (110.0 ppg), 1st in shooting, 1st in 3 point shooting and 9th in FT shooting. Defensively the Warriors have been average, ranking 15th in points allowed (99.9 ppg), 1st in defensive FG% and 5th in 3 point defense.
Pick: Golden State had a big lead for much of the game vs the Pelicans on Saturday, but a 4th quarter collapse allowed the Pelicans to get the game within 4 points late, before finally losing by 7. This Warriors team is clearly the better than that and I feel that the late game collapse will keep this team focused through out as they do not want an inferior Pelicans team to feel they have any shot at all in the game. The Warriors allowed a 16 point 4th quarter lead dwindle to 4 points in game 1 and I expect that if they have that same 16 point lead in this one it will go to 20+ late in the game. They will not led the Pelicans back in this one at all.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for the NBA Playoffs with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference 1st Round Preview
Steve Fezzik & Teddy Covers from Pregame.com break down each of the 4 1st round matchups on the Eastern Conference side of the NBA playoffs.