Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2015 NBA Playoffs, Western Conference First Round Game 3 – April 23, 2015

Despite the best efforts of Anthony Davis, the Golden State Warriors’ home winning streak is still intact. The Warriors won their 20th in a row at the Oracle with a 97-87 Game 2 win, but they had to work for it – again.

Davis will now play host to the No. 1 seed Warriors, who have a 2-0 lead as the series shifts to New Orleans. Can the Pelicans put together a complete game and beat the Dubs in front of their home crowd? Read on below for our preview of Game 3.

The Chicago Bulls are also gunning for a 3-0 lead in Game 3 with the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. Check out our preview of the Bulls vs. Bucks here.
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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Golden State Warriors Game 3 Preview

Series Scores & Schedule

Game 1 — April 18, 3:30 PM ET, New Orleans Pelicans 99 at Golden State Warriors 106

Game 2 — April 20, 10:30 PM ET, New Orleans Pelicans 87 at Golden State Warriors 97

Game 3 — April 23, 9:30 PM ET, Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans – view all NBA lines

Game 4 — April 25, 8:00 PM ET, Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans

Game 5* — April 28, Time TBD, New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors

Game 6* — May 1, Time TBD, Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans

Game 7* — May 3, Time TBD, New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors

*If necessary

Betting on the Golden State Warriors

If in Game 1, the Warriors let a big lead slip away in the fourth quarter, Game 2 saw the Warriors show their class and come through in the clutch. Klay Thompson led their late charge with 14 of his 26 points in the fourth to pull away for the 97-87 win.

[sc:NBA240banner ]Splash Brother Stephen Curry added 22 points and six assists. Meanwhile, Draymond Green continued his excellent defense on Anthony Davis, and limited the Pelicans star in the clutch. Through two games, Green has a combined plus/minus of plus-47.

The Warriors’ depth came into play as their reserves played a key part in recovering from a 28-17 first quarter hole. Leandro Barbosa had 12 points in 15 minutes, while Andre Iguodala, Marreese Speights and Shaun Livingston provided energy and unselfishness off the bench.

With the Pelicans down to the bare bones because of all their injuries and their overreliance on Davis and Gordon, look for the Warriors’ bench to play a significant factor down in New Orleans.

Coaching could also begin to play an even bigger part in Game 3. Despite being a rookie head coach, Steve Kerr looks to have the decided edge over his more experienced counterpart, Monty Williams. The extra day off and two games worth of information playing the Pelicans will afford Kerr the time to make some added adjustments to his team’s gameplan.

The Warriors won their 20th straight home game in Game 2, but they’re merely mortal on the road. They’re 13-7 in their last 20 road games, and 9-11 against the spread.

Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans

You’ve got to give the New Orleans Pelicans credit. They gave the Golden State Warriors – the team with the best record and the best home-court advantage in the league – all they could handle in the first two games of the series. The Pels were neck-and-neck with the Dubs through three quarters in Game 2.

Anthony Davis had another great game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 45 minutes. Tyreke Evans played 41 minutes with a bruised knee and added 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Eric Gordon went for 23 points with five threes.

But they just couldn’t execute as well offensively as the Warriors in crunch time. They scored just 16 points in the final frame, with Davis going 0-of-5 from the field. That’s partly poor coaching, partly the terrific Warriors defense and partly the team’s overall lack of big-game experience. This is, after all, their first taste of playoff basketball.

Jrue Holiday was missed, while Norris Cole made some questionable plays down the stretch. The absence of Ryan Anderson, who didn’t feature at all during the second half, was also worrisome. Without Anderson, their already shallow bench gets even shallower.

But as the series shifts to New Orleans, the young Pelicans have proven that they won’t go away easily. Davis and co. should get some much-needed rest after logging heavy minutes in Game 2, as well as an added bump from the home crowd.

Davis has had no problem scoring on Golden State’s terrific defense – he’s averaging an even 30 points in four games against them this season – and went for 29 points and 10 rebounds in the Pelicans’ 103-100 home win against the Warriors on April 7.

Writer’s Prediction

The Warriors finally have the measure of the Pelicans in Game 3 and come away with a 15-point win. Create a betting account now and come away with a handsome profit from the NBA playoffs.
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