Pelicans vs Warriors Prediction, Odds, Pick Tonight | NBA Betting Preview

Here's everything you need to know about Pelicans vs. Warriors on Friday, April 12 — our expert prediction and betting picks tonight.

Fresh off an inspired win over the Sacramento Kings, the New Orleans Pelicans will aim to extend their four-game winning streak and potentially lock up the final playoff spot in the West when they meet the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

With both teams in form and playing for a second straight night with the stakes high, what can we expect? Let's find the best way to bet on this one below.

Things couldn't have gone better for the Pelicans on Thursday. They knocked down 55% of their shots from 3 and got 31 points apiece from CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson, as they took home a wire-to-wire win over the Kings.

This is a team that had been laboring following the big loss of Brandon Ingram, but New Orleans has played some inspired offense here in April with the sixth-best Offensive Rating in the league.

While there have been some off nights, the Pelicans still boast the fifth-best 3-point offense in the game this month and have been launching a bit more in an effort to compensate for the loss of Ingram.

Their interior work remains elite as well, ranking seventh in field-goal percentage at the rim, though rebounding has been something of a struggle.

In a bizarre twist, it hasn't seemed as if the Pelicans have been interested in playing much defense in the six games we're speaking of, allowing the Kings back in Thursday's game by giving up a barrage of 3s.

They remain elite at forcing turnovers, however, and they were one of the stronger 3-point defenses this season, so it's probably best not to underestimate this team on that end of the floor.

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The Warriors have done an excellent job against the 3 all season, and that hasn't changed in the month of April with the eight-best field-goal percentage against the outside shot. They continue to be liable for allowing interior scoring, something that could rear its ugly head here against a New Orleans team that's stellar at getting to the rim and scoring at will.

Something that could bite the home team here is its inability to take care of the ball, ranking dead last in the league this month in turnover rate which is something we've seen all season long from this group.

Golden State has improved upon some already sparkling marks from outside the arc, ranking first in the NBA this month in 3-point shooting, and it continues to excel in scoring at the rim and rebounding the ball in the frontcourt.

The stakes aren't quite as high here for the Warriors as they approach the final three games of the season, but let's lay them out anyway.

They're going to be in next week's Play-In Tournament but find themselves in a three-way tie with the Kings and Lakers for eighth place. After New Orleans did them a favor with a win on Thursday, a victory here would go a long way toward putting them in the top half of the tournament, which would essentially create a double-elimination situation.

The Kings will get the Suns and Trail Blazers this weekend, while the Lakers draw the Grizzlies and Pelicans, so there remains a scenario where both of those teams win out given the strength of schedule.

The Warriors will have a somewhat easy game to close the season against the Jazz, and the pressure is certainly on them to win out and secure some favorable positioning in the play-in.

With all of that said, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson did sit out Thursday night's win with rather minor injuries, so perhaps Golden State isn't hell-bent on securing one of the top two spots. Be sure to follow their status as we approach tip, and note that this move could have been to preserve them for the harder of the two games on back-to-back nights.

Both of these teams have strong records against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back this season, and both come in on a hot streak.

The determining factor here could be the health of the Warriors, though it doesn't seem to be in great question given the opening line favors the home side by quite a bit.

Golden State is a disastrous 12-20 ATS as a home favorite this season and will be in a tricky matchup against a team that can match its 3-point prowess and one that — even with some regression against the 3 of late — still grades out as average during one of its cold stretches.

I expect New Orleans to do enough here on defense even without Ingram. I do fear for the turnover-happy Warriors here against a team that has wreaked havoc in passing lanes and forced an incredible number of them.

I'll take the points with New Orleans here down to 2.5.

Pick: Pelicans +4.5 (Play to +2.5)

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