The Warriors are hosting the Pelicans at Chase Center tonight, January 10th. One open question remains: will forward Draymond Green participate in the game after the NBA lifted the initial indefinite suspension? Green missed 12 games in total for striking Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic on December 12th, 2023.
On Saturday, the league announced Green's reinstatement, allowing him to practice with the Warriors, although the team has not confirmed when Draymond will step on the court. During his regular weekly press conferences, Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr said that Green's fitness level would be evaluated before deciding when he could rejoin the starting rotation.
The NBA announced that Green met with a counselor and demonstrated a commitment to respect the NBA's standards for players' conduct during meetings with league officials. During the initial week of the suspension in December, some media channels correctly predicted that the suspension would last for three weeks, pointing to January 10th as the earliest date for Draymond's comeback on the NBA court.
Following Green's reinstatement on Saturday, some analysts have speculated with a one-week time window for Green's return. The forward did not participate in the Raptors game apart from listening in on the timeout huddles. Let's examine if Green can impact this matchup and the odds when betting with a DraftKings sports promo.
Evenly Matched Stats for the Warriors and Pelicans
33-year-old Green no longer plays at a high level and will not reclaim the 2016-17 award for Defensive Player of the Year. Although still a starter, the Warriors played relatively well without Green in the rotation, achieving a 7-5 record during Draymond's suspension.
With or without Green, Golden State will have to face a formidable Pelicans team at home. New Orleans four wins on their last five matches. Statistically, the Warriors outperform the Pelicans by a slight margin. Golden State averages 117.1 points a game, compared to 115.8 points for New Orleans. The Warriors shoot with 46.3% field goal efficiency and 36.9% from the three-point line, while the Pelicans are 48.4% from within the three-point arc and 37.9 points from beyond the arc.
Even the turnover rate is close, with Golden State averaging 14.2 turnovers per game and New Orleans 13 turnovers per night. Not surprisingly, betting sites with free bets predict a close game.
Betting Prediction
The top sports betting apps consider the Warriors a 1-point favorite, offering -105 odds on Golden State to cover their spread. The Pelicans receive -115 odds for their +1 point spread and -110 odds on a moneyline bet. The -110 odds stay consistent for a Warriors moneyline bet. The total is 233.5 points with -110 odds for the Over and Under Bet.
These teams match up relatively evenly, forcing online bookmarks to provide nearly identical odds in every betting category. Even if Green steps on the court, he will probably not provide a significant advantage for the Warriors after not playing for a month.
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