The New Orleans Pelicans are looking to apply what they’ve learned as they aim to split their two-game series against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody, all starting for the Warriors for the first time this season, scored a total of 64 points on Tuesday. Their performance helped the Warriors come back from a 20-point deficit to win 124-106 in the first game of this back-to-back series.
Playing the same opponent in consecutive games is uncommon for most NBA teams, but it’s familiar territory for the Pelicans, who faced this situation last week against the Portland Trail Blazers. In that instance, after losing 105-103 on Friday, the Pelicans saw the Trail Blazers win 125-103 on Sunday.
Now, the Pelicans find themselves in a position to seek revenge, something Zion Williamson is eager about. “That’s the beauty of the NBA,” he said after Tuesday’s game. “Sometimes you get to see the team again the next day or two days later. Other times, you’ve got to wait. But you always get another shot at it.”
Williamson scored 31 points and Brandon Ingram added 30 for the Pelicans, but they were responsible for 10 of the team’s 24 turnovers, with Williamson committing seven of them—just one less than the Warriors’ total.
This allowed the Warriors to make 23 more shots, even though they had a lower shooting percentage of 54.1 compared to New Orleans’ 47.4. Golden State finished with six more field goals than the Pelicans in the game.
The Warriors had 12 more 3-pointers than the Pelicans, making 21 out of 46 attempts from long range, which is 45.7 percent.
With Stephen Curry out due to an ankle injury, Buddy Hield led the 3-point shooting with seven. Moses Moody was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc, scoring 15 of his 17 points.
Despite missing Andrew Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton due to back injuries, the Warriors showed better depth in their victory. The Warriors’ eight bench players scored 54 points, while the Pelicans’ seven backups managed only 30.
Lindy Waters III, who had not played much in Golden State’s first three games when the team was at full strength, got 31 minutes of playing time on Wednesday. He responded well with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he wasn’t surprised by Waters’ performance. “I’ve said it since Day 1 of camp: This guy’s a ballplayer,” Kerr noted. “The game flows when he’s out there.
It’s not just because he’s a good shooter; he’s a good basketball player. It’s the shots that he doesn’t take because of his patience, it’s the cuts that he makes to the basket, it’s getting into the fight defensively.
“From Day 1 of camp, this guy has been one of our best players, frankly. Couldn’t get him out there until (Tuesday). I’m just happy to have this kind of depth for nights like tonight where we’re missing three guys, and it will pay off big time for us over the course of the 82 (games).”
