Pelicans vs Warriors Prediction, Picks Tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 10)

Here's everything you need to know about Pelicans vs. Warriors on Wednesday, Jan. 10 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today.

The Warriors may have some hope left for this season with the return of Draymond Green looming, but with five losses in their last seven games the battle to get back into contention is growing in difficulty. Now, in front of a national audience, Golden State will take aim at a hard-nosed Pelicans team minus Chris Paul, who was lost over the weekend to a hand injury.

Can the Warriors find a way through a formidable New Orleans defense on Wednesday?

Let's get to our Pelicans vs. Warriors prediction and pick.

The Pelicans are looking good at the moment, heading into play on Wednesday with five wins in their pocket over the last six games. They sit inside the top six in the Western Conference, and much of that has to do with their sixth-ranked defense. New Orleans has leaned heavily on the second-best 3-point defense in the NBA according to Cleaning the Glass, and it has been just as deadly from outside even though the focus offensively has seemed to lie inside the arc.

The Pelicans sit just below the league average in field goal percentage within four feet according to Cleaning the Glass, but they continue to press the issue with Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas and Brandon Ingram who can all use their size to score from 10 feet.

Still, the perimeter is what we'll be watching here. The Pelicans have knocked down an insane 46.6% of their looks from 3 over the last five games, and while we shouldn't be surprised to see this from a team just outside the top five in 3-point shooting, that is still a number that will come down over time. It may have to wait until next week, however, as the Pelicans have shot almost three points better from 3 on the road as compared to at home.

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The Warriors have been dealt a serious blow with the injury of Chris Paul. Their second unit has kept them in games all season long and sparked big comebacks, and Paul has been front and center with that unit, usually sticking around on the floor in the fourth quarter to close things out.

The good news here is things seem to be better offensively than they were last month, even without Paul for the time being. Golden State posted a 120.4 offensive rating last time out against a capable Toronto defense, and over the last 10 games it now sits squarely inside the top 10 in the league in offensive efficiency.

We know the story here with the Warriors offensively, they're going to go as their shooters go. They're taking 3s at the fourth-highest clip in the NBA, but they've knocked down a very average 37.3% of them with more actually falling on the road as compared to home. Paul had actually caught fire from 3 prior to his injury, which further hampers a team which has struggled even more than normal over the last 10 games to knock down outside shots.

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Golden State is a team which thrives from deep, and New Orleans possesses the second-best 3-point defense in the NBA. The Pelicans should feel impenetrable for an offense which has struggled mightily of late, and one which relies so heavily on the outside shot.

Furthermore, the Pelicans may be looking up at the Warriors in the rebounding department for the season, but over the last 10 games they've picked up the slack on the glass and can call themselves a better rebounding team than the hosts here. They should have a large edge with their perimeter defense, their size inside, and with their bench, considering they've matched Golden State's production in that category all season long and will now get to pick a part a second unit which doesn't feature Chris Paul.

The Warriors are a miserable 5-12 against the spread as home favorites here and I expect that trend to continue.