Faced with the Warriors deprived of Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De'Anthony Melton, all injured, the Pelicans immediately jumped at the throat of their opponents. They limit Golden State to 5/23 on shots while 19 points from the duo Brandon Ingram (30 points, 12/17 on shots) – Zion Williamson (31 points, 12/20 on shots, 8 lost balls) give them 17 points. advance (31-14).
Fortunately for Steve Kerr's men, the Pelicans were wasteful and already had fourteen lost balls at halftime, the fault of the defensive activity of Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney. Golden State then took the opportunity to get back into the game by passing their opponent 23-11, behind the trio Brandin Podziemski – Jonathan Kuminga (17 points) – Lindy Waters III. It takes an authoritarian response from Zion Williamson to keep the Pelicans ahead (51-47).
Returning from the locker room, the amazing Lindy Waters III and Brandin Podziemski scored 18 of Golden State's first 24 points to take the lead (74-67), their first advantage since the first minute of the match! It's still Zion Williamson who limits the damage, well supported by Brandon Ingram, but the two stars are too lonely.
The Warriors finish the quarter at 9/14 by far, including three in a row for Buddy Hield, to put New Orleans thirteen lengths behind (94-81)! The shooter then caught fire, scoring 19 points in the last quarter, to offer a convincing victory to his team.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– The Pelicans scuttled themselves. Dominant in the first quarter to the point of having a lead of up to 20 points after 15 minutes, the Pelicans put the Warriors back in the match by losing 15 balls and giving 10 offensive rebounds to their opponent at halftime! Golden State, which was only 32% successful at the break, compared to 52% for the Pelicans, was able to get back on track by benefiting from twelve more shots than its opponents. Despite the effectiveness of the duo Zion Williamson – Brandon Ingram, author of 61 points at 65% success, no other Pelicans has exceeded the nine-point mark!
– Lindy Waters III walks on water. Performing and skillful in the preseason, Lindy Waters III began the season as Golden State's 13th man, and therefore outside of Steve Kerr's 12-player rotation. With three injured players and a poorly started match, the former Thunder resident had his chance and he didn't let it pass him by. His energy woke up Golden State and his skill (21 points at 8/13 on shots) changed the appearance of the match!
– Golden State’s bench depth responds. Deprived of two starters (Curry, Wiggins) and a rotation player (Melton), the Warriors took a quarter to adjust. With Brandin Podziemski at the helm, Golden State's offense caught fire. Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody (14 points) were aggressive and skillful, and Buddy Hield, although 1 of 8 at halftime, exploded during the last 15 minutes of the match, to score 25 of his 28 points at 6/ 6 3-pointers. Collectively, the Warriors achieved a 15/23 from a distance in the second half, after a 6/23 in the first! We must also highlight the good defensive performances of the trio Draymond Green – Kevon Looney – Gary Payton II.
