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The Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans will meet for the second consecutive night at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Both teams are in the mix for the NBA Play-In tournament. The Warriors (33-32) are in eighth place in the West, with New Orleans (29-36) having slim chances of getting to the postseason.
The battle for the final places for the NBA Playoffs continues to heat up. But some teams have started to fall back and the seedings might start to get set for the NBA Play-In tournament and the actual NBA Playoffs.
In their most recent game, the Golden State Warriors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans with a 123-108 score. They'll meet again on May 14th to close off their three-game regular-season series.
Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Pelicans prediction
The New Orleans Pelicans' weak defense has been a big reason for their struggles in the 2020-21 NBA season. The Golden State Warriors were able to exploit it in their match on May 3rd.
Despite having a defensive-minded coach in Stan Van Gundy, New Orleans rank 27th in the NBA in Defensive Rating. The team lacks intensity on defense, though they have great athletes who could guard several places.
On offense, the New Orleans Pelicans are good enough, with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram leading the team's attack to the 10th spot in Offensive Rating.
The Golden State Warriors' defense, meanwhile, has been performing at a good level, with their offense being based on Stephen Curry's scoring outbursts.
In Offensive Rating, the Golden State Warriors rank a lowly 23rd in the NBA. But on the defensive side, Steve Kerr has led the way (sixth-best in the league), along with Draymond Green.
Golden State have been a better, more balanced team than the New Orleans Pelicans this year, and the trend might continue in the upcoming game.
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 great level in the 2020-21 NBA season has been essential for a Golden State Warriors team that has not been the dominant outfit of past seasons. Still the franchise could be back to the NBA Playoffs after their absence in 2020.
Curry is averaging a career-high 31 points per game and leads the NBA in that department. Moreover, he is shooting 49% from the field, 43% from the three-point line, and 91% from the free-throw line.
Curry guided the Golden State Warriors in their recent outing against the New Orleans Pelicans with 41 points, eight assists and eight three-pointers.
Andrew Wiggins has also performed well in the 2020-21 NBA season for the Golden State Warriors. Wiggins is averaging 18 points per game so far and has 47/38/71 shooting splits in the current campaign.
In addition, Wiggins has been a good contributor on defense, as he is averaging one steal and one block per game so far.
Among all the issues in the New Orleans Pelicans' 2020-21 campaign and their inconsistencies, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are the two players who have carried the team's offense.
Ingram (an All-Star in 2020) and Williamson (All-Star this year) are the most talented players on the team and will have the task of guiding them to the NBA Playoffs.
Ingram is averaging 24 points, five rebounds and five assists in the campaign with 46/38/75 shooting splits. On his end, Zion Williamson is putting up 27 points, seven rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for the New Orleans Pelicans with a 61% field-goal percentage.
In the previous game against the Golden State Warriors, Zion put up 32 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
To close out our combined lineup, we have Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, who is a versatile, essential player, even though he does it in his own way.
Green is leading the Golden State Warriors in assists, with 8.7 per game, and in Defensive Rating (107, 10th in the NBA).
Green has also been putting up seven rebounds per game, and is coming off a triple-double against the New Orleans Pelicans in the previous outing with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists.
Guess the Lakers players!
