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The Golden State Warriors will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday in a game that is crucial to both teams' aspirations. The battle for NBA Playoffs seeding and a spot in the Play-In tournament is heating up as the final stretch of the 2020-21 NBA season has lots of teams fighting closely.
The Golden State Warriors are currently riding Stephen Curry's great season and are trying to enter the postseason with a 32-32 record. They are ninth in the West and are now headed to the Play-in tournament.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans and their extremely talented young core are 29-35 and three games behind the last play-in spot, with just eight games remaining on their schedule.
Both teams have eight games remaining in the 2020-21 regular season, and they will meet three times in that stretch.
Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Pelicans prediction
On paper, the New Orleans Pelicans have a stronger roster with more viable options on offense. With the Pelicans' offense ranking 10th in the NBA and the Golden State Warriors' offense ranked 22nd, it is evident which team has a better attack.
However, the comparison on the defensive end shows that the Golden State Warriors have a solid defense (seventh in the NBA with 110.4 points allowed per 100 possessions). The New Orleans Pelicans' defense is simply inadequate to enter the NBA postseason, as it ranks only 27th in the NBA.
Stephen Curry could lead the Golden State Warriors in this decisive matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Warriors also appear to be on a slightly better streak with eight wins in their last 12 games. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have a 4-6 record in its last 10 games.
Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Pelicans combined starting 5
Point Guard - Stephen Curry | Shooting Guard - Andrew Wiggins | Small Forward - Brandon Ingram | Power Forward - Zion Williamson | Center - Draymond Green
Stephen Curry's 2020-21 NBA season for the Golden State Warriors is definitely up there with the greatest years of his career.
The 33-year-old is dragging a limited Golden State Warriors team to a possible postseason appearance with his incredible shooting ability. He is averaging an NBA-high 31.3 points per game with 49/43/92 shooting splits. He is also putting up 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Andrew Wiggins has also played well for the Golden State Warriors in the current campaign. He has been solid on offense and has also provided great defense and rim protection.
Wiggins is averaging 18 points and five rebounds per game while appearing in every game of the year so far. Additionally, he is putting up one steal and one block (team-high) per game.
Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are certainly the top players on the New Orleans Pelicans roster, and both have made appearances in the All-Star Game (Ingram in 2020 and Zion in the current season).
Ingram's been putting up great numbers for the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging a career-high 24 points per game, along with five rebounds and five assists per game. He is also posting 47/38/88 shooting splits.
Williamson has become the best player for the New Orleans Pelicans and is one of the best and most efficient scorers in the paint. He is averaging 27 points, seven rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and has made 61.6% of his field goals and 69% of his free throws for the New Orleans Pelicans. He also leads the NBA in two-point field goals made (604) and two-point attempts (964).
To close our combined lineup, we have Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, who is once again performing at a high level.
Green is averaging a team-high 8.6 assists per game this year, which is also a career-best for him. He is also averaging 1.6 steals per game and has the Golden State Warriors' best Defensive Rating (107, 10th-best in the NBA).
Also read: 5 Players with the longest wingspan in the 2020-21 NBA season
