The New Orleans Pelicans (2-0) will try to build on their impressive start to the season when they host the Golden State Warriors (2-1) on Monday night. New Orleans beat Memphis on the road in its opener before defeating New York on Saturday. Golden State lost to Phoenix in a season-opening thriller, but it responded with road wins over the Kings and Rockets. These teams split their four meetings last year, with the home team winning on every occasion.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Pelicans are favored by 4 points in the latest Warriors vs. Pelicans odds, while the over/under is 226 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Pelicans vs. Warriors picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five seasons. The model enters Week 2 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a 77-41 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $3,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Pelicans vs. Warriors. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Warriors vs. Pelicans:
Pelicans vs. Warriors spread: Pelicans -4
Pelicans vs. Warriors over/under: 226 points
Pelicans vs. Warriors money line: Pelicans: -169, Warriors: +142
Pelicans vs. Warriors picks: See picks here
Why the Pelicans can cover
New Orleans is off to an outstanding start, winning both of its games behind big performances from Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Williamson is averaging 23.5 points per game, while Ingram is not far behind at 22.5, with the former All-Stars finally healthy at the same time after playing just 12 games together last season. The Pelicans hit 14 of 32 3-pointers in their win over Memphis to open the campaign.
Golden State is in a brutal scheduling spot on Monday night, as this will be its third road game in four days. The Warriors opened the season with a loss to Phoenix before winning a pair of road games by single digits. They have only covered the spread three times in their last nine October games, while New Orleans has covered at a 10-4-1 clip in its last 15 games dating back to last season.
Why the Warriors can cover
Golden State won just 11 road games last season, but it has already picked up two quick road wins this year. Star guard Stephen Curry scored a game-high 24 points and hit four 3-pointers in under two minutes late in the fourth quarter of a 106-95 win against Houston on Sunday. Klay Thompson chipped in 19 points, while Gary Payton II scored 15 points off the bench.
Veteran forward Draymond Green saw his first action of the season, scoring four points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists in his return from an ankle injury. New Orleans has not demonstrated consistency in recent years and it lost its last two games against Golden State last season. The Warriors have covered the spread in four of the last five meetings between these teams, and they have won 13 of the last 19 games outright. See which team to pick here.
How to make Pelicans vs. Warriors picks
The model has simulated Warriors vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.