The Golden State Warriors will look to stay on track for the NBA Cup semifinals when they play the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
After winning their home games in the NBA Cup against the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies, the Warriors are not only aiming to stay unbeaten in West Group C but also to improve their point differential, which could be important later.
The Pelicans won their only home game in the in-season tournament, defeating the Denver Nuggets. With a 1-1 record, they are tied for second place in the group with the Nuggets and Mavericks. A win over the Warriors could help close the gap in the standings.
However, New Orleans has struggled since their win over the Nuggets, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers, Mavericks, and Cleveland Cavaliers by a combined 74 points. Their most recent loss was a 128-100 defeat against Cleveland on Wednesday.
A bright spot in the loss to Cleveland was rookie guard Antonio Reeves, who scored 34 points in 40 minutes, his highest of the season. Before this game, Reeves had only scored 23 points in his first eight games. He wasn’t even on the active roster when the Pelicans were swept by the Warriors in two games in October.
With many key players like Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and others out with injuries, Reeves stepped up. Coach Willie Green praised his effort, saying, “It’s a credit to (coach) Jodie Meeks and our Birmingham Squadron (G League) team… (Reeves) coming into the gym every day, getting his shots up, paying attention, and gameplan discipline.”
The Warriors, on the other hand, have stayed healthy, missing only De’Anthony Melton, who was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL. Lindy Waters III has stepped in for Melton and made an impact, hitting at least two 3-pointers in each of the Warriors’ last three games. He scored 10 points in Wednesday’s 120-97 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Buddy Hield (11 points) and Jonathan Kuminga (10 points) also contributed off the bench, as part of a well-rounded effort from Golden State.
Coach Steve Kerr explained why Waters was promoted to the starting lineup, saying, “He’s a good fit next to that group. I like bringing Buddy off the bench. The bench group has been really good this year. Starting with Lindy allows us to keep the bench intact and gives us another shooter and defender in the starting lineup.”
When Golden State played New Orleans last month, Hield had 21 points coming off the bench, and Waters had 21 points as a reserve. The Warriors won both games, including a 124-106 victory in the first game, and a 104-89 win in the second, completing a sweep despite not having Stephen Curry, who was out with a strained ankle.
