With Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins sidelined, the Golden State Warriors were the underdogs in last night’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center. After the first quarter, it looked like the game would go as expected as the Pels took a 17-point lead behind Zion Williamson’s 7 points, 2 rebounds and a block in the opening 12 minutes.
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However, the Warriors rallied back over the next three quarters, winning each one by double digits and eventually securing a 124-106 victory against New Orleans to end the night. The Pels’ dismal performance disappointed Charles Barkley, who labelled it an embarrassing showing for the NOLA side.
“I’m not going to overreact. That was embarrassing by the Pelicans. I mean, I don’t mind teams losing games. But to lose that game the way they did, and the guys talking about there’s no Herb [Jones]…They got their most important three players. To have a 20-point lead and lose by 20, that was embarrassing,” Barkley commented during NBA on TNT’s post-game segment.
Though Herb Jones started the game for New Orleans, he would check out during the third quarter after picking up an injury in his shoulder. The Pelicans’ latest acquisition, Dejounte Murray, also fractured his left hand during the season opening game against the Chicago Bulls. He has been sidelined since.
However, for Barkley, that is no excuse as the Warriors were missing two of their main shot-makers in Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. The Pelicans initially took advantage of the Dubs’ understaffed lineup but went from being up 18 to losing by 18 with their three main stars on the floor. In the second half, they were outscored 77-55 by Golden State.
New Orleans shot themselves in the foot, giving up 34 points off of their 23 turnovers last night. Zion Williamson alone had as many turnovers (7) as the entire GSW lineup.
8 different Warriors nabbed steals last night, with Slo-Mo Kyle Anderson leading the way with 5 to his name. In that regard too, the Pels failed to keep up as the entire team combined for just 4 steals. With CJ McCollum struggling to find his footing, New Orleans’ offense looked stagnant as they generated just 23 assists – versus the Dubs’ 34.
Lindy Waters III, who had scored just 14 points through the season’s first three games, erupted for 21 off the bench, leading the game with a plus/minus of +26. He contributed 3 three-pointers, helping the Warriors tally 36 more points from behind the arc than New Orleans.
It was a rough showing for Zion Williamson & Co. who were fresh off a 22-point blowout loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Even with these disappointing outcomes to start the season, the Pelicans can rectify their mistakes tomorrow as they will remain in San Francisco for Round 2 against the Golden State Warriors.
