Shaun Livingston in the paint >>> pic.twitter.com/z9kRmehVG7
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 26, 2017
OAKLAND–It’s not often the Warriors are forced to live out their worst-case scenario, but in the first half on Saturday night at Oracle Arena, Golden State was in the midst of a nightmare.
What do the Warriors look like when they’re merely mortal? With Kevin Durant sitting out due to an injured right ankle and Steph Curry doing more harm than good with an 0-for-10 start to Saturday’s contest against the Pelicans, Golden State had a chance to examine how exactly it would fare being pinned up against the ropes.
It turns out, they’re not that bad. Though Durant was sidelined, Curry was ineffective and Draymond Green picked up his fifth foul early in the third quarter, the Warriors overcame all of that adversity en route to a 110-95 win over New Orleans on Saturday.
After decimating the Chicago Bulls in a Friday night snoozer, the Warriors returned to the floor on Saturday as if they were still hitting a REM rebound. Golden State managed just 17 first quarter points in its lowest-scoring frame of the season, and trailed by 14 against a Pelicans team that has enough depth to provide a decent test for the reigning champs.
While the Warriors struggled out of the gates, the Pelicans whiffed on an opportunity to take over the game, allowing Golden State guard Klay Thompson to keep his team within striking distance thanks to 16 first half points.
.@KlayThompson hits a 3 for the 74th game in a row. Longest active streak in the @NBA. pic.twitter.com/kCJ1funNzW
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 26, 2017
Thompson was the Warriors’ only reliable starter during the first half, as Green went 1-for-2 from the field while center Zaza Pachulia didn’t add much to the first unit. Unlike most nights, though, after Golden State’s first team struggled, a second unit led by Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala ignited a comeback.
Iguodala began the second quarter without much bounce in his step, but a heated conversation with Green after an easy New Orleans bucket served as a turning point for the Warriors’ veteran, who began locking down the Pelicans the rest of the way.
Two-thirds of the globe is covered by water ?
The other third is covered by Andre Iguodala ? pic.twitter.com/CZ4Er86mbi
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 26, 2017
As Iguodala came to life on the defensive end, Livingston paced the second unit offensively, providing Golden State with its best highlight-reel play of the night when his second quarter spin move juked Jrue Holiday out of position and led to an easy one-handed slam.
After facing a double digit deficit early, a Thompson three-pointer gave Golden State its first lead of the night inside of the 30-second mark in the second quarter. That triple should have allowed the Warriors to carry an advantage into the halftime break, but a rough foul on rookie Jordan Bell allowed the Pelicans to tie the game with a free throw before the half.
It took awhile, but the Dubs finally have their first lead of the game. pic.twitter.com/bRDGXf015i
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 26, 2017
Jordan Bell with great defense = arguably the worst call I've seen all season pic.twitter.com/m4hBRpnuj8
— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) November 26, 2017
After scoring just two points in the first half, the floodgates opened for Curry in the third quarter, as his 17-point effort helped the Warriors open up a nine-point lead.
Curry played just three quarters in Golden State’s win over Chicago on Friday, but his 26-point second quarter burst gave the Warriors all the spark they needed to run away from an anemic Bulls squad. Though New Orleans was still capable of making a run after Curry’s Saturday night exploits, the Warriors’ star helped his team emerge from the “worst-case” scenario they encountered in the first half and ultimately paved the way to a victory.
Zaza steal + Curry 3 = 6-point lead pic.twitter.com/Om2Xie0POu
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 26, 2017