Warriors crush Pelicans 138-87 at Chase Center to improve to 8-3
Golden State hit 21 threes, led for 99 percent of the night and finished with a 51-point margin.
Folks, I've got a corner stool, a cold one and a 51-point blowout to talk about. The Warriors beat the New Orleans Pelicans 138-87 at Chase Center, and what decided it was the shooting. Golden State went 21-for-44 from three (48%) and 50-for-91 overall (55%), while New Orleans staggered to 29-for-80 (36%). That's not a game, that's a demolition permit.
The Warriors are 8-3 now, 6-1 at home. The Pelicans fell to 4-7.
It was over by the time the fog rolled in
The Pelicans led exactly once, 3-2, after Jeremiah Fears hit a three at 11:02 of the first quarter. Yaxel Lendeborg answered 13 seconds later and the Warriors never looked back. Stephen Curry made it 8-3 with a step-back three, then added a driving layup and a 25-footer to push it to 14-9. It was 35-20 after one.
Then the second quarter turned into a car wash. With the Pelicans stuck on 31, the Warriors ran off 11 straight: a Georges Niang layup, a LJ Cryer three and a pair of Lendeborg threes, one of them a step-back. Brandin Podziemski hit a 25-foot pullup late in the quarter, and it was 72-43 at the break. By the end of the third it was 112-65. The Warriors outscored New Orleans 40-22 in that quarter alone (SO MUCH for any comeback talk).
The guys who did it
- Stephen Curry: 25 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 4-of-7 from three and a perfect 9-of-9 at the line, all in 21 minutes. He added 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and finished +32.
- Brandin Podziemski: 25 points on 10-of-19, with 5 threes, 4 assists and a team-best +36.
- Yaxel Lendeborg: 23 points on 8-of-10 (4-of-4 from deep) with 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
- De'Anthony Melton: 16 points off the bench, including 4 threes on 8 attempts.
- Charles Bassey: 12 points on 6-of-8 and a game-high 10 rebounds, plus an alley-oop flush off a Gui Santos feed in the first.
I also have to tip my cap to Al Horford, who had 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in 15 minutes, and Draymond Green, who scored 2 points and handed out 6 assists in 21 minutes at +32. That's the glue, and I love glue.
Under the hood
The Warriors dished out 37 assists against 11 turnovers. They won the paint 52-38, the glass 50-31 and fast-break points 17-6. They also blocked 9 shots. The Pelicans had 4 technical fouls to Golden State's 1, which tells you how the night felt from their bench. Derik Queen led New Orleans with 16 points, and Fears had 8 assists, but this one was never in doubt.
I'm not going to be mean about it. Everybody has a night where the ball won't go in. Just not usually against a team that can't miss.
What's next
The Warriors hit the road to face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 9:30 PM ET. After a night like this, my only worry is that the team gets used to it. Bring a jacket, boys, even if it's not July.