The defending champion Golden State Warriors are hot right now, winning four straight games to move into the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
Golden State blew out the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night behind 34 points from Jordan Poole, and now they host the New Orleans Pelicans, who are 10th in the West, on Friday night.
The Pelicans beat the Portland Trail Blazers in their last game, but they have slipped since Zion Williamson was injured and are dealing with several absences on Friday night.
Williamson, Larry Nance Jr. and Jose Alvarado are all listed as out for this game while Jonas Valanciunas is listed as doubtful. The Warriors have players on the injury report too, listing Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II and Andre Iguodala as out.
Curry is expected to return to the lineup soon, so can Golden State really climb into the top half of the West?
Here’s a look at the odds and pick for this matchup:
Pelicans vs. Warriors odds, spread and total
Pelicans vs. Warriors prediction and pick
The Pelicans have struggled mightily on the road this season, going 7-14-1 against the spread as road underdogs and just 11-21 straight up.
That’s a bad sign against a Golden State team that has survived this season by dominating at Chase Center, going 26-7 straight up.
This is the second game of a back-to-back for the Warriors, but they were able to rest some players in the blowout win over the Clippers on Thursday.
If Klay Thompson suits up in this game, I’m comfortable backing Golden State at home.
The Pelicans won their last road game against the Blazers, but they’re going to be in a tough spot down four rotation players against Golden State.
The Warriors may be finding their form at this point in the season, so I’ll trust them to win by two possessions at home.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.