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Series Preview: Warriors vs. Pelicans

The Golden State Warriors will take on the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2018 Western Conference Semifinals.

Warriors vs. PelicansGame 1Saturday, April 287:30 p.m.Oracle Arena

WATCH: TNT
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Mobile App and Warriors Radio Network

The second-seeded Golden State Warriors face the sixth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans in the 2018 Western Conference Semifinals, beginning with Game 1 at Oracle Arena on Saturday night.

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
The Warriors won the 2017-18 regular season series against the Pelicans for the sixth-straight season, winning three of the four regular season meetings.

10/20/17 at New Orleans: Warriors 128, Pelicans 120

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 59 points as the Warriors got their first win in their second game of the season. Game Recap

11/25/17 at Golden State: Warriors 110, Pelicans 95

Curry missed his first 10 shots of the game, but rebounded to score 14 of his team-high 27 points in the third quarter as the Warriors defeated the Pelicans without the injured Kevin Durant. Game Recap

12/4/17 at Golden State: Warriors 125, Pelicans 115

The Warriors outscored the Pelicans by 30 points in the second half to become the first NBA team in the Shot Clock Era to earn two wins after trailing by 20 or more points at halftime in the same season. Game Recap

4/7/18 at New Orleans: Pelicans 126, Warriors 120

Anthony Davis recorded 41 points and 10 rebounds as the Pelicans snapped a 10-game losing streak to Golden State. Game Recap

Notes:

-Golden State rallied from double-digit deficits (15, 14 and 21) in each of their three wins over the Pelicans.

-The Warriors scored at least 110 points in every game of the season series. They've scored at least 110 points in each of their last 11 regular season meetings with New Orleans.

-In the regular season series, Golden State averaged 31.5 assists per game, while New Orleans was right behind them with 30.5 per contest.

-DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry each missed one game apiece.

MATCHUP AT A GLANCE

Regular Season Ranks in Parenthesis

PROJECTED STARTERS

GSW: Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and JaVale McGee

NOP: Rajon Rondo, Jrue Holiday, E'Twaun Moore, Nikola Mirotic and Anthony Davis

INJURY & ROSTER NOTES

GSW: TBD. Team Notes

NOP: Alexis Ajinca (right knee injury), DeMarcus Cousins (left achilles rupture) and Frank Jackson (right foot fracture) are out. Team Notes

NEW ORLEANS SCOUTING REPORT
The Pelicans might just be the story of the playoffs thus far. After a successful regular season that saw them win 48 games and finish sixth in a very competitive Western Conference, New Orleans proved a lot of doubters wrong when they upset the third-seeded Trail Blazers and swept Portland out of the first round. The Pelicans, along with the Warriors, were the only teams in the league to rank in the top three in both points scored and assists per game during the regular season, but that's not the only tie that binds them. Former Golden State associate head coach Alvin Gentry is now in his third season as Head Coach of the Pelicans, and this upcoming series will offer the first chance for he and Steve Kerr to go head-to-head in that time.

If choosing the person most responsible for their first round sweep of the Blazers, however, look no further than the all-world talent Anthony Davis, who has taken the next step in his development this season, and is one of the league's leading MVP candidates. After averaging 28.1 points (2nd in NBA), 11.1 rebounds (7th in NBA) and 2.6 blocks (1st in NBA) per game in the regular season, Davis improved on each of those numbers in the first round where he averaged a current NBA playoff-high 33.0 points per game on 57.6 percent shooting from the field. Several other Pelicans had great performances against Portland, but there's no doubt as to who is the straw that stirs the drink in New Orleans. Davis is a matchup nightmare for any defense that opposes him, including Golden State, and the degree to which he's able to dominate on both ends of the court could be the single-most determining factor in how the series plays out.

TEAM PLAYOFF LEADERS

MATCHUP TO WATCH
Stephen Curry's status for the series remains unknown at this time, and if we're to assume that both Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant live up to their statuses as two of the best players in the entire world, that places a greater importance on the production of their respective teammates. In the first round against Portland, Davis' teammates were extremely productive, but none stood out more than Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans' shooting guard who has developed into one of the top two-way players in the game today. Of course, Golden State has a shooting guard of their own who belongs in that category as well, and the positional matchup between Holiday and Klay Thompson is the one to watch in the series ahead.

Holiday was simply stupendous in the first round. Not only was he highly productive on offense, averaging 27.8 points and 6.5 assists per game, but he also played a critical role in forcing Portland's talented backcourt into several rough shooting nights. He's particularly effective on drives to the basket, where he combines his court vision and ability to finish in traffic to make life tough on opposing defenses. He isn't the strongest three-point shooter, however, as he shot just 33.7 percent from beyond the arc in the regular season and 35.0 percent in the first round.

Opposing him the positional matchup will be one of the top three-point shooters the NBA has ever seen. Klay Thompson is coming off a very strong first round in which he averaged 22.6 points per game on 52.9 percent shooting from the field and 51.6 percent from three-point range and didn't miss a free throw. He was considerably better at home then he was on the road, but his nonstop movement and relentless individual defense are always constants, regardless of where the game is being played. Holiday stands 6'4", but it will be the 6'7" Thompson with the height and length advantage in the series ahead. If Thompson can shoot the ball effectively while using his length to force Holiday into disadvantageous positions, it could significantly hamper New Orleans' ability to score. However, if Holiday can facilitate the Pelicans' offense and run an effective two-man game with Davis on the interior, then New Orleans will have a chance at a second-straight series upset.