Why Stephen Curry Should Light Up Pelicans for Second Straight Game UPDATE: He Did
By Peter Dewey
UPDATE: Steph Curry hit the over on his point total, scoring 37 points on 13-of-31 shooting in the Warriors' 108-103 loss to the Pelicans on Tuesday night. What follows is the original report from pregame.
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has been on a tear since April 4, and it is likely to continue on Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Fresh off a 41-point performance against the Pelicans on Monday, Curry’s over/under for points on WynnBET is set at 36.5 on Tuesday. The over (-104) is a slight underdog to the under (-120), but it’s going to be hard to bet against Curry given the Pelicans’ defensive struggles.
This season, New Orleans has the league’s No. 27 ranked defense, with a defensive rating of 113.6. It helped Curry and Golden State control the game in last night’s 15-point win, which moved New Orleans to seven games below .500 on the season.
The Pelicans have the league's 27th ranked defense. You're seeing why early in this game. Losing cutters, no rim protection, half-speed closeouts.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 3, 2021
Curry is arguably the greatest 3-point shooter of all time, and he has made five or more shots from beyond the arc in 12 of his past 16 games.
The Pelicans are allowing 14.5 3-pointers per game this season, which is the third-highest mark in the league. Not only that, but opponents shoot 38.0 percent from 3 against the Pelicans, the fourth-highest mark in the NBA.
Curry, a 42.7 percent 3-point shooter, should find similar success to Monday night’s matchup, especially since it is a back-to-back. This season, New Orleans is just 5-7 in back-to-back games and has allowed an average of 114.7 points per game in those contests.
While over 36.5 points is a big ask, Curry is averaging 37.1 points per night over his last 16 contests. He has scored fewer than 37 points in just six of his last 16 games and has shot 51.3 percent from the floor and 46.1 percent from 3-point range over that stretch.
It’s hard to bet against Steph when he’s playing like this, and we don’t trust the Pelicans defense to show much fight on a back-to-back with their playoff hopes dwindling by the day.