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Golden State is laying nine and a half without Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Moody or Will Richard. I don’t care about the seven-game win streak. That’s too many points. Pels.
The Matchup
- The Warriors are thin. Butler (knee), Porzingis (illness) and Moody (knee) are all out, and Will Richard is out too. Steph Curry is scoring 31.2 a game and Draymond Green is handing out 7.8 assists, but that’s a short rotation.
- New Orleans can score. The Pelicans put up 120.5 a game. Zion Williamson is at 21 points a night. They lost their last two, including 139-123 to the Clippers, so the defense is the problem: they give up 120.8.
- Tip-off. 10:00 PM ET at Chase Center, on NBA TV.
The Number
Our numbers have the Warriors by three and a half. The board says nine and a half. That’s six points of daylight. What scares me: Golden State is 5-1 at home and makes 40% of its threes, and if Curry gets hot early, this gets out of hand fast.
Bottom Line
Take the Pelicans plus nine and a half at . Too many points against a team missing four rotation guys. It lands on the receipts page win or lose. Let’s go Pels.
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Picks are opinion and analysis, not financial advice. Odds move; confirm at the book.