Programming note: Pelicans-Warriors coverage starts tonight at 6:30pm with Warriors Pregame Live on CSN Bay Area, and streaming live right here.
OAKLAND – The New Orleans Pelicans come to town Monday night and, as usual, they’re working with a patchwork roster.
Not that the Warriors, who have their own injury woes, will offer any sympathy.
The Warriors (59-6) are trying to run their ongoing regular season home wins record to 49 while raising their record to 31-0 this season at Oracle Arena. They’ll be without Sixth Man Andre Iguodala as well as backup center Festus Ezeli.
The Pelicans (24-41), who were swept by the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs last season, won’t finish anywhere near the postseason. New coach Alvin Gentry, top assistant for the Warriors last season, has run into the same bad voodoo as his predecessor.
How bad is it? Players on the New Orleans roster have missed 212 games due to injury or illness, forcing Gentry to use 32 different lineups – one every other game.
BETTING LINE
Warriors by 15.5.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Draymond Green vs. Anthony Davis: It’s widely believed The Brow is having a subpar season, largely because the Pelicans have regressed. Yet Davis remains an elite player – seventh in scoring and rebounding, fourth in blocked shots and eighth in efficiency. He scored an NBA season-best 59 points three weeks ago at Detroit. Though Green will get the primary assignment, the Warriors to rely on their usual strategy against great players and utilize a variety of defenders.
LAST 10
Warriors: 9-1
Pelicans: 2-8.
INJURY REPORT
Warriors: F Andre Iguodala (L ankle sprain) and Festus Ezeli (L knee surgery) are listed as out.
Pelicans: G Norris Cole (back) TBA. F Quincy Pondexter (L knee surgery), G Tyreke Evans (R knee surgery), G Eric Gordon (R finger fracture) Bryce Dejean-Jones (R wrist fracture) and C Alexis Ajinca (fractured sternum) are listed as out.
SERIES HISTORY
The Warriors won the first two meetings by double digits (111-95 on Oct. 27 at Oracle and 134-120 on Oct. 31 at Smoothie King Center). They have won 12 of the last 13 meetings, 16 of the last 17 counting the four-game sweep in the 2015 playoffs.
QUOTABLE
“He’s putting up the same numbers he’s been putting up. But they’ve had team struggles. And with the team’s struggles then people, of course, are going to say he’s having a down year. But he just had 60. I’m not sure how down that is . . . But when you’ve been deemed that ‘Next One,’ people don’t really accept the team’s struggles. That’s kind of what he’s going through. But, overall, I’m not going to approach the game like, ‘Oh, he’s having a down year.’ Because I know exactly what he’s capable of doing.” – Green on Davis
