Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The worry before the game was the starting crew. Is this really the Warriors? Three rookies, Glenn Robinson III and Willie Cauley-Stein?
Turns out the finishing crew was the real trouble.
Despite a lineup of Ky Bowman, Jordan Poole, Cauley-Stein, Eric Paschall and Robinson, the Warriors entered the second half with a five-point cushion, a team thriving on ball movement and hustle where talent lacked. Soon enough, that talent dearth began showing.
The Warriors scored just 16 points in the third and 16 in the fourth, letting a 10-point lead evaporate as Charlotte’s shots began dropping en route to a 93-87 Golden State loss at Chase Center on Saturday night.
The Warriors’ homestand finishes Monday against Portland before they visit Houston, Minnesota and Oklahoma City. From there, it’s home against Utah and at the Lakers before home against the Celtics. It is not hard to envision a 1-5 team dropping to 1-11 or 2-10.
In this one, they had their chances late — mostly with the Hornets’ help, as they couldn’t hit free throws and finished 5-of-29 from 3 — but Golden State could not convert.
A total of five straight 3s from both teams out of the under-four timeout in the fourth electrified the fans. Robinson (16 points) tied it before Marvin Williams, Bowman, PJ Washington and Damion Lee traded long daggers, eventually leaving it at 86-86 with 1:16 left.
Paschall, in his best game as a pro, was fouled under the hoop and made one of two, but Terry Rozier answered to make it 88-87.
The Warriors got a break with 25.5 second left, Devonte’ Graham dishing for an open layup late in the shot clock only to be called for three seconds in the key. The Warriors quickly threw the ball away, though, and had to foul Rozier — who missed both, but Cody Martin was there for the rebound as Steve Kerr had just subbed out Cauley-Stein. Martin made one, and this time Dwayne Bacon (25 points) chased down the rebound, tying up for a jump ball between him and Bowman, which Bacon won. Rozier’s final free throws iced the game.
What started with such promise — Paschall filling in admirably for the injured Draymond Green and Bowman (16 points, seven rebounds) adequately holding down point guard without an injured D’Angelo Russell — finished with disappointment. The ball movement that had impressed in the first half was halted, and the shots that fell became bricks.
The biggest bright spot was Paschall, who was solid throughout in picking up Green’s slack – and his patented celebration. With 1:52 left in the second, the rookie forward bulldozed his way to the hoop and stayed strong as Miles Bridges fouled him, the ball falling through the net and Paschall throwing up the flex, a move he would reuse later.
Paschall had a career-high 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting and, as a rookie, was easily the best player on the court for the Warriors.
With the underwhelming starting five and a four-man bench that was emptied immediately, Golden State grabbed a lead at 26-23 with Damion Lee’s 3 with 1:38 left in the first and didn’t let it up until the fourth.
Omari Spellman was diving on the ground, Robinson led the way early with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting in the period and the team was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. They had 10 field goals and nine assists for a team that moved the ball much more without Russell.
While Cauley-Stein did not help much offensively (eight points, eight rebounds), he did a nice job slowing Cody Zeller, who entered averaging 15 points and 13.5 rebounds per game and finished with just 10 and eight.
The Pelicans cut the lead all the way to one late in the third, two Marvin Williams 3s sandwiched by a Bacon pullup, part of an 8-0 run that made it 69-68. But Bowman nailed a long 2 just before the quarter ended and the Warriors entered the third with a three-point edge.