The Golden State Warriors dominated the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, coasting to a 138-87 victory. The Pelicans were playing the second half of a back-to-back and missing several key players, including Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III. Nevertheless, the Warriors took care of business and improved to 8-3 on the season. They have now one eight consecutive games and went undefeated on their five-game homestand.
It truly took no time for the Warriors to get rolling. Steph Curry quickly found
plenty of open space against the Pelicans defense. On the other end, New Orleans looked sluggish and simply lacked the firepower to generate any run of their own. Golden State led 35-20 by the end of the first quarter.
While the on-court results were fantastic for the Warriors, they did lose backup guard Brandon Williams who only played a couple of minutes before leaving the game with a left hamstring injury. He will undergo an MRI tomorrow. If Williams has to miss extended time, he would join Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, and Kristaps Porzingis as Warriors who will be out for awhile. Will Richard could also be on that list soon if he undergoes surgery on his torn UCL in his left thumb. Gary Payton II was also ruled out with knee inflammation for Monday night’s game, although that is not expected to lead to a prolonged absence.
Two-way guard LJ Cryer got plenty of minutes in Williams’ place. Charles Bassey perhaps had the highlight of the night, blocking Derik Queen on a two-handed dunk attempt. Brandin Podziemski got the ball in transition and made a three on the other end. Queen, by the way, led the Pelicans with 16 points in the game.
By halftime, the Warriors led 72-43 with rookie Yaxel Lendeborg leading the team in scoring with 16 points on just 6 field-goal attempts (4-for-4 from three). Podziemski was right behind him with 15 points of his own. By the end of regulation, Lendeborg recorded 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers while shooting 8-for-10 from the field. Podz finished tied for a game-high 25 points.
Curry carried the offensive load in the third quarter, finishing the game with 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 6-for-10 shooting from the field in under 21 minutes of action. De’Anthony Melton (16 points) and Charles Bassey (10) were the only other Warriors in double figures. However, 12 of the 13 Dubs who appeared in the game made at least one basket.
The Warriors will now head on the team’s first prolonged road trip of the season. While they have done an impressive job climbing the standings after an 0-3 start, Golden State’s schedule is about to get a lot more difficult. They will get the trip started on Wednesday when they face the Houston Rockets. Opening tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
