The New Orleans Pelicans will look to bounce back and earn a split in their NBA doubleheader against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in San Francisco. Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody, all making their first starts of the season for Golden State, combined for 64 points on Tuesday night, rallying the Warriors from a 20-point deficit to a 124-106 victory in the first game of the two-day, two-game series.
While same-opponent back-to-backs are rare for most NBA teams, the Pelicans are no strangers to this scheduling quirk, having experienced it last week in Portland. After defeating the Trail Blazers 105-103 on Friday, New Orleans was handed a 125-103 loss on Sunday. Now, the Pelicans find themselves in a position to seek revenge against the Warriors, something Zion Williamson eagerly anticipates.
Williamson scored 31 points and Brandon Ingram added 30 for the Pelicans on Tuesday, but the two combined for 10 of the team’s 24 turnovers. Williamson alone had seven miscues, just one shy of the Warriors’ team total. This allowed Golden State to overcome a shooting disadvantage of 54.1% to 47.4% by taking 23 more shots, resulting in six more field goals than New Orleans.
The Warriors made 12 more three-pointers than the Pelicans, finishing 21-for-46 (45.7%) from beyond the arc. With Stephen Curry sidelined due to an ankle injury, Hield led the long-distance attack with seven three-pointers, while Moody contributed 15 points, hitting 5-of-6 from three-point range.
Golden State was also without Andrew Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton due to back injuries, but their depth shone through as the Warriors’ eight reserves outscored the Pelicans’ seven backups 54-30. Lindy Waters III, who had seen limited action in the first three games, stepped up with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in 31 minutes.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed no surprise at Waters’ performance, praising the former Oklahoma City Thunder reserve’s contribution to the win. The Pelicans will aim to adjust and come back stronger in their second encounter with the Warriors.
