Tag: Pelicans vs. Warriors

Before the Golden State Warriors meet the Memphis Grizzlies to decide the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference play-in tournament, the New Orleans Pelicans made a stop at Chase Center on Friday night.

With all eyes on Sunday’s matchup with heavy postseason implications, the Warriors ruled out Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins against the Pelicans. With the absence of Golden State’s three core stars, the combination of Jordan Poole and Mychal Mulder helped push the Warriors past the Pelicans, 125-122.

Despite a late Pelicans’ run fueled by Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Poole sealed the victory with a go-ahead bucket with 21 seconds remaining. The second-year guard tallied a career-high 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field with six assists and four rebounds in 33 minutes.

Mychal Mulder tacked on a career-high of his own with 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field with two rebounds, an assist and a steal in 34 minutes. Mulder caught fire from long distance, drilling seven triples on 13 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Warriors will now head into Sunday’s contest with a chance to lock the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference play-in tournament with a win over the Grizzlies.

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Starting out strong

Without three key starters, the Warriors didn’t miss a step in the opening quarter against the Pelicans. Poole and Mulder scored 26 points combined in the first 12 minutes to give Golden State an eight-point advantage over New Orleans.

With Mulder drilling four triples on five attempts from deep, the Warriors notched eight 3-pointers in the opening frame on their way to a 41 point first quarter scoring explosion.

Eric Paschall

After missing the last 19 games with a hip injury, Eric Paschall made his long-awaited return to Golden State’s rotation on Friday night. In 19 minutes off the bench, Paschall tallied 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field with four rebounds.

Paschall’s return will provide some much-needed depth in the frontcourt behind Draymond Green and Kevon Looney.

Jordan Bell

Along with Paschall, Jordan Bell made his return to the Warriors on Friday evening. After converting Juan Toscano-Anderson to a standard contract, the Warriors added Bell to their open two-way deal before the end of the season.

In 15 minutes of action, Bell notched one point on 0-of-2 shooting from the field, but the former second-round pick recorded five rebounds, two assists and two blocks against the Pelicans.

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Prior to returning to Chase Center for the last homestand of the 2020-21 campaign, the Golden State Warriors met the New Orleans Pelicans for a road back-to-back series. On Friday, the Pelicans will travel to San Francisco to face the Warriors for the final time. However, Friday’s contest will look quite different from their previous matchup.

With all eyes pointing to Sunday’s tilt between the Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies that will decide the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed, Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins will be out against the Pelicans on Friday.

Without Golden State’s core of stars, Steve Kerr will lean on a rotation that features Mychal Mulder, Jordan Poole, Kent Bazemore and Juan Toscano-Anderson. Eric Paschall is also expected to make his first appearance in the lineup after missing 20 games with a hip injury.

Below is everything you need to know about Friday’s contest between the Warriors and Pelicans.

After registering a victory in the first run of a two-game series against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, the Golden State Warriors had the opportunity for a sweep on Tuesday night. 

After a back and forth contest that featured a bevy of lead changes, the Warriors gripped to a six-point advantage with just over six minutes remaining in the contest. However, a cold performance down the stretch from Steph Curry and company saw the Warriors’ lead disappear. In the final minutes, clutch buckets from Lonzo Ball helped push the Pelicans past the Warriors, 108-103.

Despite finishing the contest with a game-high 37 points, Curry struggled late, scoring only two points in the fourth quarter on 1-of-7 shooting from the field and 0-of-4 from long distance. 

Following their last road trip of the season, the Warriors will return to Chase Center for the final six games of the 2020-21 campaign.

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Lonzo Ball

On Tuesday, the Warriors had no answer for Lonzo Ball. After a rough performance with only seven points on 3-of-18 shooting from the field with four turnovers in 38 minutes, Ball bounced back to carry the Pelicans in part two of the back-to-back.

The New Orleans point guard dueled with Curry, scoring a team-high 33 points on 11-of-23 with six rebounds and four assists. Ball got hot from long distance, drilling seven triples on 13 attempts from deep.

Lights out

With the Warriors leading by six in the third quarter, the game came to an unexpected stop. As Curry lined up to launch another triple, the lights at the Smoothie King Center shut off. Teams have been creative when it comes to guarding Golden State’s two-time Most Valuable Player, but turning off the lights is a new and unique game plan.

Via @NBCSWarriors on Twitter:

New way of defending Steph Curry… turn the lights off 😂 pic.twitter.com/ia9Fp5hSQ7

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 5, 2021

Andrew Wiggins

After scoring 26 points in the opening contest of the back-to-back in New Orleans, Andrew Wiggins doubled down on Tuesday night. The veteran wing tallied another 26 point performance on 10-of-21 shooting from the field with five triples.

Wiggins added six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 39 minutes against the Pelicans. With Kelly Oubre Jr. dealing with a wrist injury, the Warriors will need to lean on Wiggins as a secondary scorer alongside Curry down the stretch.

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After sealing a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, the Golden State Warriors will have the opportunity for a two-game sweep in game two of the back-to-back on Tuesday evening in the big easy.

In the opening game, the Warriors surged past the Pelicans behind strong performances from Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Curry stayed hot with a game-high 41 point performance on 14-of-26 shooting from the floor in 35 minutes. While Curry handled the scoring, Green recorded another triple-double effort with 15 assists, 13 rebounds and 10 points to notch Golden State’s victory, 123-108.

With a repeat performance over the Pelicans on Tuesday, the Warriors could create some much-needed breathing room at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture.

Before the Warriors meet the Pelicans for part two of their back-to-back battle, here is everything you need to know about Tuesday’s contest.

After securing a win over the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors landed in New Orleans for a two-game run against the Pelicans. With the Pelicans sitting two spots behind the Warriors in the Western Conference standings, both contests will carry potential playoff implications.

In the first game of the series, the Warriors wasted no time with a strong start to jump on the Pelicans. Steph Curry built Golden State’s lead with a scorching 41 point effort on 14-of-26 shooting from the field in 35 minutes. The seven-time All-Star drilled eight triples on 18 attempts to go along with eight assists and four rebounds.

Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting from the field. Yet, it wasn’t enough to slow down the trio of Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.

Despite sealing a 123-108 victory, the Warriors aren’t done in New Orleans, with part two of the back-to-back slated for 5 p.m. PT on Tuesday.

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Fast start

When the Warriors have suited up for meaningful games throughout the 2020-21 campaign, Steve Kerr’s squad has had problems falling behind in the first quarter. In New Orleans, the Warriors came out strong, building an 18 point lead in the opening quarter.

Curry got hot early, dropping 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. While Golden State’s offense charged to a 39 point quarter, New Orleans had trouble securing the basketball. In the first quarter, the Pelicans committed seven turnovers in the opening 12 minutes.

Draymond Green

While Curry handled Golden State’s scoring efforts, Green helped control the floor on defense and as a passer. The former Defensive Player of the year recorded a triple-double with 15 assists, 13 rebounds and 10 points in 37 minutes against the Pelicans. Green added three steals and two blocks on the defensive side of the floor.

Arena of Heroes

On Monday, Golden State’s contest with New Orleans served as the debut broadcast of ESPN’s “Arena of Heroes” – a new alternate broadcast featuring Marvel superheroes. The broadcast has special graphics and effects throughout the game, including on-screen reactions with famous Marvel catchphrases like “Hulk smash” after dunks.

“Recruited” players were awarded “hero points” for different achievements to be named Marvel’s Arena of Heroes champion. Green edged Curry by one hero point to become Marvel’s first champion.

Via @NBA on Twitter:

A scoring breakdown for Draymond Green as he becomes Marvel's first #ArenaOfHeroes champion with a game-high 48 Hero Points! pic.twitter.com/Ib5OJYUlUb

— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2021

Arena of Heroes also included digital appearances from Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Dr. Strange and more. Anthony Mackie of Disney’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also joined the broadcast for an in-game interview.

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After netting a much-needed victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday, the Golden State Warriors head into a road back-to-back series against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

After winning three of their last four games, the Pelicans sit two spots behind the Warriors in the bottom of the Western Conference postseason standings. Monday’s contest will be the first of three meetings between the Warriors and Pelicans in the final eight games of the 2020-21 season. Each round could carry heavy playoff implications.

Monday’s tilt in New Orleans will debut a special alternate broadcast featuring different Marvel Superheroes in ESPN’s “Arena of Heroes.” The special broadcast will include Captain America, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Iron Man and other members of The Avengers, along with special Marvel points for Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball.

Below is everything you need to know about Part 1 of Golden State’s back-to-back series in New Orleans.