New Orleans Pelicans vs. Golden State Warriors Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 11/05/2021

Time: 10 p.m. ET

Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

Where to watch: ESPN

DraftKings: NL

BetMGM: Warriors -9

Caesars: NL

Pelicans: 1-8

Warriors: 6-1

Pelicans: lost five straight, lost 112-99 at Kings on Wednesday

Warriors: won two straight, won 114-92 vs. Hornets on Wednesday

The Golden State Warriors are not quite the guys of old yet, but they’re getting there. They’ll try to win their seventh game out of eight to begin the season when they host the banged-up New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

The Warriors suffered their first loss of the season last Thursday to the Memphis Grizzlies, but bounced back with two dominant wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Hornets, winning by 22 on Wednesday.

Jordan Poole had a career night with a team-high 31 points, shooting 7 of 16 from the arc and 11 of 21 from the floor overall. Steph Curry had only 15 points but had eight rebounds and nine assists to offset a 6 of 15 shooting night.

But the star of the night was Gary Payton II, playing the game much like his dad. Payton had 14 points in 17 minutes and had three steals to pace a pesky Golden State defense.

"He dominated the game while he was out there. Just changed everything with his defense, his activity," head coach Steve Kerr said of his young point guard. "He is just an electric athlete. It's hard to stand out on an NBA floor athletically 'cause all those guys are the world's greatest athletes. And he jumps off the page when you see him out there. ... His teammates love him, as they should."

Golden State’s start has been refreshing in terms of seeing them get back into the playoff hunt. This is also your reminder that Klay Thompson is on the horizon, as well as James Wiseman returning to practice. There’s a lot to like right now for the Warriors.

The same can’t be said for the Pelicans who enter on a five-game losing streak and are still trying to navigate the waters without Zion Williamson for at least the next few weeks.

New Orleans is coming off a 13-point loss to the Sacramento Kings on the road on Wednesday in which it scored just 12 points in the fourth quarter. Devonte’ Graham and Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 16 points each to lead the Pels, while the offense didn’t produce much outside of Jonas Valanciunas (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Garrett Temple (12 points, nine rebounds).

"The fourth quarter, we just didn't have enough to sustain our play," New Orleans coach Willie Green said. "No excuses. Credit to Sacramento. They did what they needed to do to win the game. I have to coach better and we have to be better — that's it."

For a team that had plenty of postseason hopes going into tonight, the Pelicans have just fallen flat without their superstar big man. Brandon Ingram is questionable due to a hip injury, so the Pelicans will likely not have their leading scorer at their disposal.

All that taken into account, this matchup doesn’t bode well for the Pelicans heading into Friday night. It’s only a matter of time before the Warriors start to dominate teams like they did back in the day during legendary playoff runs, but give it time. This will be an easy one for Golden State. Warriors by 17

Despite the rough start, the Pelicans are 4-5 ATS this season.

New Orleans is 2-1 ATS off a road loss this season.

The Warriors are 2-2 ATS at home this season.

PG: Devonte’ Graham

SG: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
SF: Josh Hart
PF: Naji Marshall
C: Jonas Valanciunas

PG: Stephen Curry

SG: Jordan Poole
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney

Pelicans: SF Brandon Ingram (hip, questionable), SF Herbert Jones (questionable), PF Zion Williamson (foot, out)

Warriors: C James Wiseman (knee, out), SG Klay Thompson (Achilles, out)

Points: Jonas Valanciunas -- 19.2

Rebounds: Jonas Valanciunas -- 14.1

Assists: Devonte’ Graham -- 5.4

Blocks: Jonas Valanciunas -- 0.8

Steals: Devonte’ Graham -- 1.6

Points: Stephen Curry -- 26.7

Rebounds: Draymond Green -- 8.9

Assists: Draymond Green -- 7.1

Blocks: Draymond Green -- 1.0

Steals: Jordan Poole -- 1.6