The Golden State Warriors have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NBA Western Conference playoffs. They can’t move up or down, and they can’t catch the Milwaukee Bucks for the top overall seed, but there is an interesting dynamic in play. They could push for more wins and try to tie or finish above the Toronto Raptors, who are second in the East. That way they’d have home-court advantage in the case that they’d meet. On the other hand, they might decide to rest their stars to give them a breather before the grind of the playoffs.

On Tuesday, they face the New Orleans Pelicans, who are playing out the string. They have just three wins in their last 15 games, so they might struggle against the Warriors backups.

NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis

The Warriors are 56-24 overall and 35-44-1 ATS. The whole NBA had the night off on Monday and the Warriors have covered four straight when playing on one day of rest. They have won 13 of the last 15 meetings between the teams, including five of six in New Orleans.

The Pelicans are 33-48 overall and 36-44-1 ATS. They gave up 125+ points in their last outing but they have rebounded well (at least against the spread), going 17-8 ATS in their last 25 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game. They’ve covered four of the last six meetings at the host.

Golden State Warriors

It’ll be interesting to see how the Warriors perform in this spot. As mentioned, they don’t have a ton to play for. On top of that, they closed out Oracle Arena – their home for the last 47 years – with an emotional win in their latest outing, so this could be a flat spot. At the same time, the Warriors will probably rest their starters or play them minimally, so the backups will likely be more focused.

Even if the Warriors play their backups, they might not be overmatched. The Pelicans are a roster of backups and they’ve quit on the season. They have just three wins in their last 15, two of which were against Sacramento (by a combined seven points) and one versus Dallas. They lost at home by 23 to the Houston Rockets, 10 to the Atlanta Hawks, 28 to the Los Angeles Lakers and six to the Charlotte Hornets. The Warriors could win and cover with a roster full of bench guys.

New Orleans Pelicans

While the Warriors still have two games left, the Pelicans will close their season with this game. The offseason is going to be a downer for them as they are likely to move franchise star Anthony Davis. He’s told the team that he wants out and they’ve played him sparingly down the stretch to maintain his health. It could also be the last game for head coach Alvin Gentry, who could get fired.

Keep an eye on the wire here as if the Warriors play their starters, they should roll. They’ve won five straight by an average of 22.4 points. For now, assume that the Warriors play their ‘B’ team, which means the Pelicans – who are mostly auditioning for roles and looking to send off their coach on a high – will probably try harder for the win.