The New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors face off in a crucial matchup between playoff hopefuls at 10:00 AM on NBA TV Philippines, available via Smart LiveStream and Cignal TV.
What’s up with the Pelicans?
The Pelicans are surging in the home stretch of the season in the hopes of not just securing a play-in spot, but maybe even an outright playoff berth. They are currently eighth in the West with a 38-37 record. They have won five straight, including an important victory over another team with postseason aspirations, the Clippers. Trey Murphy III and Brandon Ingram starred in that game with 32 points apiece. In their next game against the shorthanded Blazers, Ingram once again led the scoring barrage with 29 points on an efficient 12-for-19 shooting clip. Jonas Valunciunas also had a big game with 10 points and 21 rebounds.
Looking at their schedule, their last seven games will be against playoff-bound teams. After their matchup with the Warriors, they’ll face the Nuggets, Clippers, Kings, Grizzlies, Knicks, and Timberwolves. It’s not an understatement to say that this last set of games will be their most important stretch of the season.
Leading the charge for New Orleans is Ingram who is averaging 29.5 points per game in his last five outings. The multi-faceted scorer has missed some time due to injury, playing only 37 games so far, but he’s making up for all those absences with his stellar play. CJ McCollum has also steadied the ship with his consistent output on the offensive end. As for star Zion Williamson, he remains out with a hamstring injury.
What’s up with the Warriors?
The Warriors have had a mediocre season, especially for defending champions. They sit in seventh in the West with a 39-37 record. They are sandwiched by the Pelicans and the Minnesota Timberwolves who have their own winning streak of four games.
The Warriors’ last loss against the Timberwolves was a tough pill to swallow because a costly turnover led to Karl-Anthony Towns’ go-ahead triple with 11 seconds left. On the next possession, they turned the ball over again. It was an uncharacteristic ending for a championship squad but not at all surprising for a team that’s had a lot of head-scratching moments this season.
Nonetheless, the Warriors can still escape the play-in tourney if they can turn things around in their last six games. After the Pelicans, they’ll play the Spurs, Nuggets, Thunder, and Kings, before ending the regular season on the road to face the Trail Blazers.
Before their disappointing loss to the Timberwolves, the Warriors were actually on the upswing with three straight wins, including impressive showings versus the 76ers and Mavericks.
What happened in their earlier meetings?
The Warriors and Pelicans have met thrice this season with the latter owning two wins. The Pelicans won their first two matchups back in November before the Warriors got the 108-99 decision on their home floor earlier this month.
An added wrinkle to their upcoming matchup is Steph Curry who hasn’t played against the Pelicans this season. Injuries have kept the two-time MVP sidelined in their first three games but he’s listed as healthy to play tomorrow. With Curry in the lineup and playoff implications at stake, expect the Warriors versus Pelicans to be an exciting battle.
