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The Warriors will visit the Pelicans in New Orleans on Friday night, hoping to go 3-0 up in the series and take a massive step towards qualification for the Western Conference finals.
The Pelicans (6th seed) ended the regular season in top form and had a marvelous performance in the first round of the playoffs, sweeping the third seeded Trailblazers 4-0. They entered the series with the Warriors having high hopes to make it competitive, but they were outplayed in the first two games, and now face a colossal task. They will need to win this Game 3 if they are to have any chance of making this a legitimate series.
The Warriors (2nd seed) faced some questions about their ability to even reach the conference finals without Steph Curry, as they played rather average in the last couple of months without him. However, they were good (not great) in their 4-1 first round win against the Spurs, and they were excellent in Game 1 against the Pelicans, winning by 22. With Steph Curry returning earlier than expected and leading the Warriors to another solid win over the Pels in Game 2, Golden State now looks good value to sweep this series and potentially win their 3rd title in 4 years.
Bet on Pelicans v Warriors and claim your 100% (100 Eur) freebet at Ohmbet now!Team news: There are no new missing players for either team. The Pels are still without Cousins and Ajinca, while the Warriors are still without McCaw.
The Pelicans played a really good game a few days ago in Game 2, they did everything well, and still couldn`t get the job done against the Warriors – who were average compared to their standards. It was just a 5 point loss for the Pels, but that`s misleading, as Golden State had the game on lock in the 4th quarter, leading by 13 points with less than 2 minutes to go.
Steph Curry`s return will be a huge deal for Golden State as he is the most important player on the team, and that was obvious in Game 2, where he came of the bench, got 28 points in 27 minutes, and had a +/- of +26! They would have lost Game 2 without him. The Dubs are just a different side with Steph on the court, and they also present a tougher matchup for the Pelicans, as Curry forces them to spread their defense – something they do not like to do. Expect him to play more minutes in Game 3, as he looked fully feet in Game 2.
The Warriors right now are in full playoff mode, they have Steph back healthy, and in these conditions it`s tough for anybody to even win a game against them.
The Pels are a good team but not quite a great one, they don`t have the depth to compete with a fully healthy Golden State, and unless the Warriors have a miserable night shooting the basketball, they should get the win here and virtually end the series. They should also cover the 4 point handicap, but the Pelicans are sure to fight until the end, and garbage time could be dangerous for the point spread (like it was in Game 2).
As such, it`s (obviously) safer to go with straight win, as the good odds permit us to do that. My tip is Golden State to win and I am confident enough to bet 10 units on this one. Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans – Golden State Warriors 111 – 118.
Pick: Warriors
Odds: 1.59 @ 1xBet
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 5.90
Event date: 4 May
Wtf ? The Pelicans are cleaning the floor with them
Looks bad, but the warriors have the ability to come back. It will be difficult, but it`s possible.
Unfortunately they are having that miserable shooting night which I mentioned to be the biggest danger for the bet.
Miracle happens. But i do not see them to recover 20 points in last quarter. It will really be a miracle
I agree. They needed to cut it to like 12-13 points before the 4th quarter to have a realistic chance.
I really think they`ll win Game 4 though, they`ll surely be more focused and can`t possibly play this bad again. Chances are shots will start falling at least at a decent rate, and that will improve their defense as well. But hell, my opinions haven`t exactly been correct lately.