Pelicans vs Warriors Prediction 3/28/25 NBA Picks Today

The Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans duke it out at the Smoothie King Center on Friday night. Here’s a Pelicans vs Warriors Prediction. This article will include a Pelicans vs Warriors Pick.

The Golden State Warriors look to have cooled off a bit recently, as they are now hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting scorched by the Heat in a 112-86 road defeat on Tuesday. Jonathan Kuminga led the team with 15 points off the bench, Brandin Podziemski added 14 points, and Jimmy Butler chipped in with just 11 points. As a team, the Warriors shot just 39 percent from the field and nine of 38 from the 3-point line, as they didn’t match the urgency of the Heat from the start. They trailed by 17 points going into halftime before they got smashed in the fourth quarter, where they could only manage 16 points. Draymond Green had a quiet game of just two points with three assists, while Moses Moody shot just three of 13 from the field for his seven points.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have been in a slump as they’ve lost nine of their last 12 games overall, but they will be feeling better after they ran past the 76ers in a 112-99 home win on Monday. Karlo Matkovic led the team with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three assists; Antonio Reeves added 17 points, Yves Missi scored 16 points, and Kelly Olynyk tallied 14 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists. As a team, the Pelicans shot 49 percent from the field and 15 of 35 from the 3-point line as they played solid defense to keep a lid on the 76ers in the first half. Before the Pelicans hit their groove and scored 32 points in the third quarter to lead by as many as 23 points at one stage. The Pels will meet the Hornets and Clippers after this game.

Why the New Orleans Pelicans will win

• The underdogs have won four of the Warriors’ last five games.
• The Warriors have lost three of their last four games as favorites.
• The underdogs have covered the spread in each of the Warriors’ last six games.
• The Warriors have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine games as favorites.

Why the Golden State Warriors will win

• The Warriors have won each of their last 17 Friday games against Southwest Division opponents that held a losing record.
• The Pelicans have lost each of their last seven games when playing with a rest advantage.
• The Pelicans have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine games as home underdogs following a win.
• The Warriors have covered the spread in eight of their last nine games as road favorites after losing as favorites.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Pelicans rank 30th in the league for defensive rating this season (119.8).
• The Pelicans rank 29th in the league for point differential per game this season (-8.6).
• The Warriors rank 3rd in the league for three-point field goal attempts per game this season (42.1).
• The Warriors are one of only three teams to win a game when trailing by 20+ points after Q1 this season.

The Warriors are still shorthanded as they have ruled out Gary Payton, and they have Stephen Curry listed as questionable, while the Pelicans have ruled out Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, and Brandon Boston for this one. The Warriors have cooled off since Curry went down, and he might still be missing for this contest, but the Warriors should still have more than enough firepower to bounce back and run past this depleted Pelicans squad. They are missing almost all of their best players.

Peter Tran's Free Pick: Golden State -13.5

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