The Golden State Warriors looked bored at times during the regular season, but they have turned it up in the playoffs. The Warriors cruised past the Spurs in the first round of the Western Conference postseason and have grabbed the first two games of the conference semifinals against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Golden State can take a commanding 3-0 lead with a road win next time out. The Pelicans need to find a way to win this game in order to have any shot of making this a competitive series. New Orleans does have the benefit of being at home in this one and the crowd will do everything it can to help out.
However, the Warriors are so powerful that they will be favored to capture this contest in NBA basketball gambling.
Game 3 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Friday, May 4, 2018 at 8 p.m. ET at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Odds Analysis
The Warriors are listed as 3.5-point favorites to win Game 3 on the road. The betting public sees this price as pretty fair, with each side getting about half of the action to cover the spread.
The scoring total is listed at 230.5 points. Both of these teams are more than happy to push the pace, and the “over” is the more popular pick even though the total is so high.
The Warriors are the -165 favorites on the moneyline, while the Pelicans are +144 underdogs to pull off the upset. Golden State is pulling in about 58 percent of the action to cover.
Player to Watch
Steph Curry -- The Warriors’ star point guard made his highly-anticipated return to the court in Game 2 and did not disappoint. The two-time MVP of the league came off the bench for Golden State and finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in his first game back since late March.
Curry played 27 minutes in his postseason debut and was 8-of-15 from the field while also making all seven of his free throws. Warriors fan can rest assured that all that time away did not affect his ability to bury opponents with the deep-ball, as he finished with five three-pointers.
The Warriors might have continued to cruise through this series, even without Curry, because of how well the team’s other stars are playing but having him back for the later rounds, should they advance, will be critical.
Last Time Out
The Pelicans kept it a little closer in Game 2, but the Warriors pulled away late to take a two-game lead in this series. Curry’s return was no-doubt a big boost in Golden State’s 122-116 win at home and now the Pelicans head back to New Orleans in a big hole.
Aside from Curry’s contribution, the Warriors saw big performances from Kevin Durant, who finished with 29 points and Draymond Green who had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Klay Thompson had an off-night, shooting just 4-of-20 from the field, but the beauty of this star-studded roster is there’s always another player available to step up when that happens.
The Pelicans played well, too, with all five starters scoring in double-digits and Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday leading the way once again with a combined 49 points and 23 rebounds. But, even when the team is hitting on all cylinders, it’s so hard to stack up against the defending champions and all their stars.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Pelicans know their season is on the line and they should play an inspired game. It’s hard to pick against the Warriors, and they will certainly win the series, but New Orleans is the choice to pull off the upset and claim this contest.
Look for Davis to dominate and for Golden State to shoot worse than normal, which will contribute to the Pelicans’ victory in NBA basketball betting lines.
NBA ATS Pick: Pelicans 117, Warriors 113
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