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The Golden State Warriors will attempt to bounce back from a shocking start to the NBA season when they travel to New Orleans to take on another struggling team on Monday.
The Pelicans (0-3, 0-1 home) were dubbed by some experts to be a playoff contender after drafting Zion Williamson at No.1, and getting a bunch of young players from the Lakers for Anthony Davis. However, with Zion injured for the first few weeks of the season, people are starting to realize the Pelcians may not be ready to challenge for the playoffs, and that the players they got from the Lakers are not that good. New Orleans is 0-3 to start the season – although, to be fair, they were competitive in all matches despite having a very difficult schedule (Raptors, Mavs, Rockets).
The Warriors (0-2, 0-1 away) have been absolutely shocking in the first two games of the season, losing by 19 points against the Clippers and by 28 against the Thunder. What`s worse, those losses were actually much worse than those score gaps suggest – the Warriors were on track to lose both of them by 40 if it weren`t for garbage time. With KD gone, Klay Thompson injured in last year`s finals, and other injuries and departures, Golden State is currently playing with a G league roster aside from Curry, Russell and Green.
Bet on Pelicans vs. Warriors and claim your 100% (100 Eur) freebet at 1XBet now!Team news: The Pelicans will miss Zion, while Holiday is doubtful, so they may be without their two best players. The Warriors will miss Thompson, Looney, Cauley Stein and probably Burks and Smailagic as well.
Thinks are looking extremely bleak for the Golden State Warriors right now, with their performances in the first two games constituting a fall of grace like we have rarely seen before.
It`s not Durant`s departure that is hurting them this badly, maybe not even Durant`s departure combined with Thompson`s injury. Sure, without both of those two they wouldn`t be a title contender, but they wouldn`t play like the worse team in the NBA either. It`s the fact that they lost all their depth, with Iguodala and Livingston also departing, and with Looney and Cauley Stein injured.
At this point the Warriors are literally forced to field a G league level lineup full of low draft picks and rejects along with Green, Curry and Russell (this new addition clearly not fitting in). It`s a situation I do not recall seeing too often in the last two decades in the league.
In these circumstances, the Warriors defense has been historically bad in the first two games, while on offense the opposing teams can triple team Steph Curry, since nobody else is able to hit even open shots with any kind of consistency – making life very difficult for Steph and the Dubs.
The Warriors will also be back to back on the road tonight after being annihilated by OKC, so things are not looking good on paper.
However, there might be a good chance for this entire narrative to be switched tonight, and for the Warriors to surprise everybody.
After the first two games, it`s clear that the Warriors are at their lowest point, and the odds reflect that in a big way. These might be the highest odds they could ever have against the Pelicans in the current circumstances, so it`s fair to smell some value here.
Despite the atrocious bench, Golden State still has Steph Curry who is due a big game after struggling in the first two games of the season. Russell and Green surely must be expected to play better as well, and one or two of the role players may finally be able to hit some open threes – after all, they are still professional players, and those can`t miss forever.
Against a young team like the Pelicans who is learning how to win (without any success so far), the Championship DNA of the Warriors could make the difference. I expect their pride and experience to force a bounce back performance, and to allow them to prevail in this clash – especially if Holiday doesn`t play for New Orleans, that would be a huge loss.
The back to back on the road factor is a disadvantage for the Warriors, but on the bright side it`s only the start of the season, and nobody played big minutes for them last night.
My tip will be Golden State to win, their championship DNA is still there despite the injury crisis, they are traditionally at their best when their backs are against the wall, and they can`t possibly play this bad for three games in a row – can they? Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans – Golden State Warriors 111 – 117.
Pick: Warriors
Odds: 2.62 @ 18Bet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 12.96
Event date: 28 October
