Pelicans Host Warriors, Seeking 3-0 Start

NEW ORLEANS - Fresh off a 2-0 start to begin the season, the Pelicans host the battle-tested Golden State Warriors on Monday night. Fans in New Orleans finally get to watch Warriors guard Stephen Curry play in New Orleans. Excluding the Covid years, where fans were either limited or could not attend, Curry has yet to play in front of a New Orleans crowd since 2019.

With Golden State playing in Houston on Sunday night against the Rockets, there were doubts about Curry's availability. Head Coach Steve Kerr cleared that postgame by saying all five starters would play on the back-to-back. Historically, the Pelicans have not fared well versus a Curry-led Warriors team. New Orleans is 6-28 as a franchise versus Curry when he plays.

A key matchup in the game is the Pelicans three-point defense versus the Warriors three-point offense. Golden State is a historically excellent three-point shooting team with arguably the best two shooters in history, Curry and Klay Thompson. New Orleans enters the game on Monday as the No. 1 defensive three-point team in the NBA. The Pelicans allow opponents to shoot just 23.8% from beyond the arc.

Curry heads into Monday's game as the NBA's fifth-leading scorer, with 30 points a contest. One figures Pelicans defensive anchor Herb Jones will get the assignment of guarding Curry for large portions of the evening. Jones is coming off a defensive masterpiece versus the Knicks on Saturday. He recorded three blocks and disrupted multiple plays on defense. Communication and rotations to shooters will be paramount for the Pelicans to stop the Warriors on offense.

For New Orleans, their offense hasn't caught up with the defense to start the season. The Pelicans rank 24th in the league in points per game (103.5), primarily due to averaging 17 turnovers a night. So, valuing ball security and utilizing size advantage against smaller Warriors.

Golden State is the middle of the pack in stopping opponent's points in the paint. Last season, New Orleans was a Top 10 team in paint scoring, and that's with Zion Williamson playing only 29 games. A healthy dose of Williamson and Jonas Valancuinas could slow the game down and not allow the Warriors to dictate the pace of play. Williamson is averaging 23.5 points and six rebounds this season.

Each team gets contributions from their bench, as New Orleans and Golden State are Top 7 in bench net rating. For the Pelicans, the Warriors will present a different look, with Chris Paul now coming off the bench for the Warriors. The former New Orleans great came off the bench for the first time in his career on Sunday night. Paul had an all-around game with 8 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.

It will be necessary for the Pelicans bench guards Kira Lewis Jr. and Dyson Daniels to refrain from allowing the crafty veteran Paul to bait them into fouls. On offense, they need to use their speed and athleticism to make the 38-year-old guard play both sides of the court. New Orleans won both home games against the Warriors last season, although Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green sat out both contests.