The Pelicans scored 19, 16 and 19 …

The Pelicans scored 19, 16 and 19 points in the second, third and fourth quarters. Their offensive rating, spread over those three quarters, was 75.0. New Orleans didn’t have Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram. They’re a spiraling 1-9. But the suffocating Warriors defense did what it is supposed to do to a bad team. This latest stingy performance lowered the Warriors’ defensive rating, through eight games, to a league-best 96.0, a number that hasn’t been reached for a full season since 2004. “That means I win Defensive Player of the Year, right?” Draymond Green said. “I mean, if we keep the top defense …”