Warriors vs. Pelicans Game 1: Prediction As Stephen Curry's Injury Status Remains Unclear

There’s a certain amount of irony in the fact that the Golden State Warriors will host Game 1 of their conference semifinals series with the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night. The defending champions are in need of time off more than any other postseason team, yet they will kick off the second round of the 2018 NBA playoffs.

In a perfect world, Golden State wouldn’t take the court again until next week. That’s because Stephen Curry is still recovering from a grade 2 MCL sprain that has kept him out of action for five weeks.

Curry didn’t play in the first round when the Warriors easily took care of the San Antonio Spurs in five games. Golden State didn’t need their starting point guard against a team that was also without their most important player. Kawhi Leonard didn’t suit up as the Spurs were eliminated.

Against the Pelicans, the Warriors could be much more affected by Curry’s absence.

New Orleans had the best first round of any team, completing the only sweep. Anthony Davis is performing like he did in the middle of the season when it was thought that he might be able to challenge James Harden for the 2018 NBA MVP award. Jrue Holiday outplayed Damian Lillard—a potential top-five MVP finisher—in the first round.

Will Curry play Saturday? Warriors head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t yet have the answer. Curry will be re-evaluated Friday, and the team has been cautious with the two-time MVP since he got hurt on March 23.

Curry was initially given a recovery timetable of three to six weeks. He began participating in “modified” practices a week ago, and the Warriors seem to be pleased with his progress. One would think there’s a good chance he’ll be able to give Golden State some minutes Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

While Golden State could’ve used a few more days off, the exact opposite might be the case for New Orleans. They were playing their best basketball of the year in the first round. Being forced to take a week off could halt some of their momentum.

Davis had some big games against the Warriors in the regular season. He scored at least 30 points in all three tries, including a six-point win on the road on April 7. It was a meaningless game for the Warriors in which Curry didn’t play.

Golden State struggled down the stretch when they had already locked up the West’s No.2 seed. Curry was out as the team limped toward the finish line.

When the games began to matter, of course, everything changed.

Even without Curry, the Warriors breezed through their first series. The defending champs won three times by double-digits with an average margin of victory of 14.3 points in their four wins. Golden State has a 20-2 playoff record since 2017.

Davis is arguably proving himself to be a top-five NBA player, and Holiday has been terrific. That doesn’t change the fact that the Warriors will have four of the series’ five best players when Curry returns.

Look for Golden State to remind the rest of the NBA in Game 1 why they are still the favorites to win this year’s title.

Game 1 Prediction: Golden State over New Orleans, 118-105