New Orleans Pelicans (52-35 SU, 49-37-1 ATS) vs. Golden State Warriors (63-25 SU, 38-49-1 ATS)
Time: Tuesday, May 1st, 2018 10:30 PM EDT
Where: Oracle Arena Oakland, CA
TV: TBD
by Keith, Professional NBA Handicapper, Predictem
Odds New Orleans +550, Golden State -800
Point Spread: Golden State -10.5
Total Line: 227
The New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors will meet for Western Conference Semifinal Game Two to take place at the O or also known as the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The game is set for a tip-off at 10:35 PM EDT. Game One in Oakland it was all Golden State. Despite much of the hype that surrounded the Pelicans and their sweep of the Portland Trailblazers in the first round of the playoffs, the Warriors closed the door on the Pelicans when they defeated them by a score of 123-101. New Orleans had racked up a win against Golden State to end a long drought against the Warriors to cap off the regular season, but it seems that the Warriors have once again begun to assert their will against their opponents.
Dating back to the Game One defeat, New Orleans had won seven games straight and looked to be hitting their peak at the right time as Golden State still has to solve how they will fight on without the services of their point guard Stephen Curry. Nevertheless, Golden State looked fine to respond to his absence in doing so has raised queries against the analysts that believe that Golden State may be prone to an upset in this series.
There are a few notable trends worth looking at in this fixture. To begin, Golden State is 4-2 ATS against New Orleans in the previous five meetings. Moreover, the Over is 10-3 ATS in the last thirteen meetings in this series. New Orleans is 26-18 SU away from home while Golden State is 33-12 SU at home. The loss against Golden State saw New Orleans fail to cover for the first time since seven consecutive covers dating back to the regular season.
As mentioned, the Pelicans feature advantages in both the rebounding and turnover department. The Pelicans feature a glove guard Jrue Holiday and a strong presence by the rim in big men Anthony Davis and Demarcus Cousins in the frontcourt. The Pelicans also as a whole have played an excellent brand of basketball barring the Game One loss.
Golden State has shown why they are champion in just one stride. Without arguably their best player, the Warriors bench pulled through to supplement the loss of Curry with some contributions from their elite talent in Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. New Orleans do not also have the playoff acumen or experience that the Warriors collectively possess.
From the start, we have seen a lean take shape on the Warriors. This is reflected in the Warriors price rising by half of a point to where the market currently stands. 60% of the cash and 63% of the ticket action is currently with the Warriors in this market. However, 100% of the consensus like the Pelicans in this market from a forum perspective. In Over/Under markets, we have seen the market rise by half of a point. 62% of the cash and 61% of the ticket action is in on the Over in Game Two.
Anytime the public takes to a dog we are forced to take a closer look because such an event is a rarity when you couple it with the fact that the team being faded is a defending champion and a public team. In the eyes of many, Game One was perhaps a one-off that will prime the Pelicans to be more competitive here in Game Two. However, such an outcome is highly unlikely after all the Warriors are a team that is built to dominate in the post-season. Golden State will pull off yet another rout.
KEITHs PICK: Golden State -10.5 at 5Dimes to get the best line on this game and guys if you don’t have an account here, now is the time to save money during the NBA playoffs and all season long in MLB!
