Pelicans vs Warriors prediction, odds, preview

The New Orleans Pelicans continue their road trip with a matchup against the reeling Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT inside the Chase Center and the contest will be broadcast on ABC.

While the Warriors (17-18) are only 1.5 years removed from winning an NBA championship and earned the No. 6 seed in last year’s postseason, this team hasn’t looked anything like it has in the past. The Warriors are currently 12th in the Western Conference and they don’t even have a brilliant home record (11-10) to lean on this year. Draymond Green has been suspended twice, while neither Andrew Wiggins nor Klay Thompson have done their part as supporting acts to Stephen Curry’s brilliance.

But things don’t get any easier for the Warriors, who welcome the Pelicans to town on Wednesday before embarking on a four-game road trip against Eastern Conference squads. New Orleans is sixth in the Western Conference with a 22-15 overall record, and coming off a 133-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings last time out.

From a betting perspective, the Pelicans have produced more with a 21-15-1 record against the spread and a 20-17 clip to the under. The Warriors, on the other hand, are 16-19-1 ATS and 21-15 to the over so far this season.

Caesars Sportsbook lists the visitors as 1.5-point favorites with a total of 233.5.

New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. CT (ABC)

Over/Under: 233.5

Moneyline: Pelicans -120, Warriors +100

Analysis: The Warriors are struggling right now, dropping five of their past seven games. Green could return as early as this weekend, but that won’t help Golden State in Wednesday’s Western Conference showdown against New Orleans.

For the Warriors to have any shot at winning this marquee matchup, Curry is going to have to put on his cape and be the team’s superhero. But do you know who also knows this? A Pelicans team that ranks top-10 in most defensive metrics. 

Fading Curry is not often a profitable strategy, but it has been of late. During this recent seven-game stretch, Curry is averaging 22 points per game. He has cleared his current points prop of 28.5 just twice over that span. He is also coming off a nine-point performance on 2-of-14 shooting against the Toronto Raptors last time out.

But the biggest reason to fade Curry’s scoring output on Wednesday is due to projections.NumberFireis projecting 26.2 points, giving us a strong edge on his current under at DraftKings. That’s where we can get +100 odds on the under, whereas all other sportsbooks are charging between -111 and -125 for the same wager.

Prediction: Pelicans 117, Warriors 115 (Under 233.5)

Best Bet: Stephen Curry UNDER 28.5 points (+100 via DraftKings)