NBA
Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Pelicans Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction
Date: Friday 28th March 2025 Start time: 7 pm local time (Midnight BST) Venue: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana Last meeting: November 22, 2024, Golden State Warriors 112-108 New Orleans Pelicans This all-Western Conference between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors takes place on Friday night.
Jimmy Butler III//Getty Images
This all-Western Conference between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors takes place on Friday night. The Warriors and the Pelicans are currently displaying polar opposite forms from their last ten matches, with the Pelicans winning two of their last ten while the Warriors having only lost twice. The Pelicans are out of the play-in contention while the Warriors are scrapping for the playoffs. Can the home side disrupt the Warriors in their quest?
SportsBoom has written a comprehensive preview for this fixture. We will provide extensive coverage on all the details surrounding both the Pelicans and the Warriors, depicting their recent head-to-head form before sharing our valued bets and predictions.
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Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
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Golden State Warriors: 4/7 (1.57) – 63.6%
New Orleans Pelicans: 6/4 (2.50) – 40%
Forecast odds – Betting available on 1Win closer to event
Head-to-Head Record
Compared to other games, this matchup is a much more recent fixture in the NBA schedule. The first game took place in 2002 and since the first game, only 77 regular season games have taken place.
There is only one clear winner overall, as the Golden State Warriors have prevailed on 49 separate occasions. The New Orleans Pelicans have won 28 games themselves. The dominance of the Warriors is on display in recent games too, winning three in a row this season.
Last Five Matches
| Season | Date | Result |
| 2024/25 Season | November 22, 2024 | Golden State Warriors 112-108 New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2024/25 Season | October 30, 2024 | Golden State Warriors 104-89 New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2024/25 Season | October 29, 2024 | Golden State Warriors 124-106 New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2023/24 Season | April 12, 2024 | New Orleans Pelicans 114-109 Golden State Warriors |
| 2023/24 Season | January 10, 2024 | New Orleans Pelicans 141-105 Golden State Warriors |
How is the season so far for both teams?
New Orleans Pelicans
- Record: 19-52
- Home Form: 12-23
- Road Form: 7-29
The New Orleans Pelicans are a distant 14th in the Western Conference and it’s fair to say the organization have had a very difficult season. The Pelicans have had key players missing due to various injuries and their performances haven’t been as good as a result. The Pelicans may be out of contention altogether but they will hope to bring a few surprises against the teams fighting for the playoff spots.
Zion Williamson is a prime example of having injuries throughout the 2024/25 NBA season, playing only 30 games this season. His talent is obvious as he is averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and a career-high of 5.3 assists per game, but he could miss this game with the Warriors. The 24-year-old will want to end the year on a high but is listed as questionable due to issues with his back.
33-year-old senior player CJ McCollum is averaging close to his career averages this season, but the shooting guard is posting below recent year numbers in both assists and rebounds. His average of 20.8 points, 4 assists and 3.8 rebounds mean his levels aren’t quite the same, but considering his importance on this injury-ridden roster, his output is paramount.
Golden State Warriors
- Record: 41-30
- Home Form: 23-14
- Road Form: 18-16
The Golden State Warriors have established themselves as one of the most in-form teams in the entire league, winning eight of their last ten games at the time of writing this preview. Their impressive form betters the seeds above them, therefore, a strong seeding could be on the cards but the organization has to be careful of the seeds below them due to their impressive form as well. Will the Warriors catchup to the second seed, the Houston Rockets, who are also in impressive form?
The organization’s incredible turnaround in form is largely down to their last-minute trade deal to acquire Jimmy Butler. To state his importance, the organization was 16-3 when he played, showing that the roster needed an extra superstar talent in their team. Butler is averaging 17.2 points, 6.4 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game, which are his best averages in a long while.
Stephen Curry is unquestionably the Warriors’ most valuable player. Having shown loyalty to the organization for his whole career and recently turned 37, Curry enters his twilight years, but he is still performing at a high standard. He is averaging 24.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6 assists, which are impressive numbers for the point guard. He will be a significant player in the playoffs should the franchise cling on to a place, but his confidence is sky-high.
Value Bets
Zion Williamson, Over 20 Points and Over 5 Rebounds: Should he play and be eligible to participate, we will use Zion Williamson as our value bet. The 24-year-old has career averages of 21.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, though his consistency is something to be wary of. We have decided to play it safe and predict over 20 points and over 5 rebounds.
Stephen Curry, Over 25 Points and Over 5 Assists: Stephen Curry’s career average of 27.7 points and 5.9 assists is why we have selected him for our second value bet. These figures are from his last ten games; therefore, we predict him to post at least 25 points and 5 assists. Curry should feature in this game after having a few day’s rest.
Prediction: Golden State Warriors to win
SportsBoom concludes that the Golden State Warriors will win this game. The Warriors have a stronger recent and historical head-to-head record, as well as a much better recent form. It will be a tough test for the New Orleans Pelicans to win this matchup, leading us to believe the Warriors will be too much of a tough test for them.
Henry Cheal is a versatile freelance sports journalist with extensive experience in the industry. Henry has previously worked at the 2024 World Snooker Championship and earned a Multimedia Sports Journalism degree from UCFB in 2023.
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