Steph Curry, Warriors Dominate Pelicans In Second Half

New Orleans, LA - New Orleans received word before the game that forward Brandon Ingram would not play due to knee soreness. That was the beginning of bad news for the Pelicans as Golden State dominated the Pelicans in the second half en route to a 130-102 victory on Monday. Golden State was coming off a back-to-back game in Houston and were without Klay Thompson. Still, the Warriors appeared to be the hungrier team most of the night.

Pelicans fans eager to watch Warriors guard Steph Curry play in the Smoothie King Center finally got their wish. Curry hadn't played in front of fans in New Orleans since 2019. In the first quarter, he did not disappoint the sold-out crowd in the Blender. Curry started the first game by scoring 16 of the first 18 points for the Warriors.

New Orleans matched blow for blow with Golden State, thanks to Zion Williamson's nine-point quarter and rookie Jordan Hawkins. The rookie replaced Ingram in the starting lineup for his first career NBA start. Hawkins knocked down his first three-point shot and scored five points in the quarter. The Warriors took a 29-27 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Pelicans started going ice-cold for beyond the arc. At one point, New Orleans missed eight consecutive three-pointers, and Golden State built an 8-point lead in the quarter. The Warriors could not pull away as their turnovers kept the Pelicans in the game. Golden State committed eight turnovers, leading to nine New Orleans points. The Pelicans ended the quarter on an 8-2 run to close the gap to a 59-57 Warriors advantage at the half.

Zion led the Pelicans with 13 points at the half, and CJ McCollum chipped in 12 points to keep pace. New Orleans held a 14-4 fast-break advantage after 24 minutes of play.

New Orleans turned in a forgettable 3rd quarter performance. Golden State started the half on a 13-4 run, and the Pelicans began to lose their composure. After a couple of questionable calls from the referees, two of the quietest people in the Pels organization, Coach Willie Green and Herb Jones, received technical fouls. To compound matters, Golden State outworked New Orleans most of the evening.

Through three quarters, the Warriors held a 52-35 rebounding edge. This included 15 offensive rebounds, while the Pels could not make a shot. They shot 1/10 from three-point range, and just 35% in the quarter. Curry led all scorers with 12 points in the quarter, and Golden State won the quarter 39-21.

New Orleans drew no closer in the fourth quarter after it became the Steph Curry show. Curry scored 12 points in the fourth, finishing with a game-high 42 and electrifying the Curry faithful who waited so long to see him. Every hustle stat went the Warriors' way on Monday.

Golden State won the second chance points battle, 25-11, held the rebound advantage 64-39, and offensive rebounding edge 21-14. The veteran Warriors are battle-tested and proved their meddle. Both Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum led the Pelicans 19 points a piece. Rookie Jordan Hawkins finished with 14 points on 6/13 shooting.

New Orleans is on the road Wednesday night when they travel to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder, before a quick turnaround to hosting the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.