Game Time: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 6th, 2022 

Venue:  Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

Where to Watch:  NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread: NL

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread: Warriors -6.5; O/U 220.5

WynnBet: Spread: Warriors -5.5; O/U 219.5

Warriors 29-7, 1st place Western Conference

Pelicans: 13-25, 14th place Western Conference

The Golden State Warriors are the number one team in pro basketball right now.  They are 1st in the Western Conference with the best record in the NBA… sure the Phoenix Suns are just a ½ game back as they are having a great year as well… but the Warriors have something the Suns do not… the Chicago Bulls do not, the Brooklyn Nets do not, the Milwaukee Bucks doo not, the Utash Jazz do not… you get it.  The Warriors in the ultimate Rich Get Richer moment will be getting SG Klay Thompson back from missing two seasons of basketball.  When Klay went down with his initial injury the Warriors were in the Finals and Klay was easily a top 3 SG in the league.  Playing alongside all-time 3-pointer leader Stephen Curry, Klay was every bit as good a shooter.  Without Klay on the squad the team imploded and had two offseasons of lottery draft picks… now they are great again… and Klay will return to the floor.  This immediately makes a great team deeper, and although there will be a lot of rust on Klay, it will reunite the Splash brothers and strike fear into the hearts of everyone… specifically Kevin Durant and his semi-all-star squad, who have dreams of a Championship… and may now have to go through Golden State to get it.  The Warriors are 8-2 over their last ten games… the only losses came against the Toronto Raptors and the Denver Nuggets that just so happened to be during the height of GS missing key players to Covid.  

The New Orleans Pelicans are dreadful.  They made a classic mistake… They traded an All-star in Anthony Davis who at the time was viewed as a top-five player in the league.  3 years ago the Pelicans succumbed to pressure from Davis, LeBron James, and a powerful NBA agent and traded Davis for PG Lonzo Ball, SG Josh Hart, SF Brandon Ingram, and the draft rights to DeAndre Hunter.. Plus two more first round picks AND a first round pick swap, and CASH.  At the same time the Pelicans drafted PF Zion Williamson #1 overall.  It is now three seasons later… Zion doesn’t play and may never… It's not unthinkable to say that Zion’s weight problem will never allow his leg, ankle, and foot problems to ever go away… and like Greg Oden before him.. He may never be able to take the court full time again. The players that the Pelicans got from the Lakers are mostly gone… Lonzo Ball is in Chicago, Jason Hart is buried on the bench, and DeAndre Hunter was swapped for C Jaxson Hayes and a future pick on draft night… It was a bad swap.  Not to mention as part of the team’s overhaul a season later they also traded PG/SG Jrue Holiday to the Bucks for ?... Eric Bledsoe and ratty picks?!  The only thing they really have left for trading Anthony Davis is SF Brandon Ingram… who leads a bad team in points with 22.2 per game.  The sting of the Pelicans failures three years ago is that #2 pick Ja Morant is currently the best young player in the league… and PF Julius Randle, who the Pelicans had their hands on, is currently leading the New York Knicks from the PF position in points, assists, and rebounds.  The Pelicans are owned by a football owner, they are a distant second thought, they are overlooked in their own city… and it shows.  Since the Pelicans are in the Western Conference but play just West of Florida… they should really pack up and move to Seattle or San Diego.  The team deserves a fan base who will show up… and an owner who will focus on doing it right.  The Pelicans are on a three-game losing streak… but shockingly they are in the middle of the best ten game stretch of their season (during covid absences around the league) as they are 5-5 over their last ten games.  

  

Al McMordie was 5-1 yesterday, including an awesome winner in Football on the UNDER in LSU/Kansas State, and a 3-0 SWEEP in College Hoops. Now, for Wednesday, Big Al looks to TRIPLE YOUR PLEASURE in the NBA, and is stepping out with 3 plays backed by 8-0, 16-4, and 7-0 ATS angles. Go get 'em! Get Big Al’s picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

The Warriors are 29-7 on the season, but 22-12-2 ATS.  They have logged 13 Overs, 22 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 12-4 in road games.

The Pelicans are 13-25 on the season, but 16-22 ATS.  They have notched 17 Overs, 20 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 7-11 in home games.

The Warriors are 5th in scoring with 111.3 points per game, 8th in rebounds with 46 per, and 11th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  They are shooting as you would expect a #1 team to shoot, 3rd in FG%, 4th in 3PT%... the one chink on th armor is foul shots… the Warriors are only 26th in FT%.. that could be a real disadvantrage in a close playoff game.   The best thing about this squad is they are 1st in defense while only allowing 101.5 ppg… The presence of Draymond Green should never be taken for granted by fans… he holds down the fort on that end.

The Pelicans are 25th in scoring with 105.4 points per game, 4th in rebounds with 46.8 per, and 17th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7.  They are shooting a lousy 26th in FG% and 23rd in 3PT%.

Our prediction for Thursday, January 6th is…. Warriors 118 - Pelican 101

The Warriors should run through the Pelicans and it’s worth taking almost any spread.

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The Pelicans are 0-3 ATS over their last 3 GAMES.

The Pelicans are 5-10 ATS after a loss of 10 points or more this season.

Golden State is 19-11 ATS as a favorite this season.

Golden State is 5-3 ATS versus New Orleans over the last 3 seasons.

Warriors: SG Andre Iguodala (knee) Out ** SF Otto Porter JR (foot) Out ** C James Wiseman (knee) Out, still rehabbing.  SG Klay Thompson (knee) Upgraded to probable.

Pelicans: PF Zion Williamson (foot) Out indefinitely ** PG Kira Lewis Jr (knee) Out for season

Warriors: SF Andrew Wiggins, PF Draymond Green, C Kevon Looney, SG Gary Payton JR, PG Stephen Curry

Pelicans: PF Herbert Jones, SF Brandon Ingram, C Jonas Valanciunas, SG Josh Hart, PG Devonte Graham

Warriors

Points: 27.2

Assists: Draymond Green 7.7

Rebounds: Draymond Green 7.9

Steals: Stephen Curry 1.5

Blocks: Draymond Green 1.3

Pelicans

Points: Brandon Ingram 22.2

Assists: Brandon Ingram 4.9

Rebounds: Jonas Valanciunas 12

Steals: Herbert Jones 1.4

Blocks: Herbert Jones 1.1

Warriors: Steve Kerr.  Coach Kerr is an NBA legend, both as a player and a coach.  

Pelicans Willie Green.  Coach Green is a rookie head coach.