New Orleans Pelicans vs. Golden State Warriors Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 30th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The New Orleans Pelicans are hoping to gain some valuable insight from their previous encounter as they strive for a split in the second game of their NBA-style doubleheader against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
In the first game of the two-day, two-game sequence, Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody all making their first start of the season for Golden State combined for a total of 64 points. This trio led the Warriors to a 124-106 victory after rallying from a 20-point deficit.
While this type of back-to-back scheduling is uncommon for most NBA teams, it is not unfamiliar to the Pelicans, who have already experienced it last week in Portland.
During that previous encounter, the Pelicans were defeated by the Trail Blazers with a score of 125-103, seeking revenge for their previous 105-103 victory on Friday.
This time around, the Pelicans find themselves in the position of seeking revenge, something that Zion Williamson is eagerly anticipating.
"That's the beauty of the NBA," he stated after their loss on Tuesday. "Sometimes you get to face the same team again the next day or two days later. Other times, you have to wait. But you always get another opportunity to prove yourself."
Williamson and Brandon Ingram were the top scorers for the Pelicans with 31 and 30 points respectively, but their combined 10 turnovers were a major setback for the team. In fact, Williamson alone had seven turnovers, just one less than the entire Golden State team.
This resulted in the Warriors being able to overcome their shooting disadvantage of 54.1 percent to 47.4 percent by taking 23 more shots. They also had six more field goals than the Pelicans in the game.
The Warriors also had a significant advantage in 3-pointers, finishing with 12 more than the Pelicans with a 45.7 percent success rate from beyond the arc.
With Stephen Curry out due to an ankle injury, Hield led the Warriors' 3-point barrage with seven shots made. Moody also contributed to the long-distance success, shooting 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and scoring 15 of his 17 points.
Despite missing Andrew Wiggins and De'Anthony Melton due to back injuries, the Warriors displayed better depth in their win. In fact, their eight reserves outscored the Pelicans' seven backups by a margin of 54-30.
Lindy Waters III, who had limited playing time in the Warriors' first three games when the team was at full strength, played for 31 minutes on Wednesday and made an impressive contribution of 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was not surprised by Waters' performance and praised him for his skills on the court.
"I've been saying it since Day 1 of camp: This guy is a talented player," Kerr stated. "The game flows when he's on the court. It's not just because he's a good shooter; he's a good all-around player. It's the shots that he doesn't take because of his patience, it's the cuts he makes to the basket, and his defensive contributions.
"From the very first day of camp, this guy has been one of our best players. We couldn't get him on the court until (Tuesday). I'm just grateful to have this kind of depth, especially on nights like tonight when we're missing three key players. This will definitely pay off for us over the course of the 82 games."
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Golden State Warriors Recap OCT 30TH 2024
Buddy Hield had 21 points to lead six scorers in double figures, Brandin Podziemski nearly recorded a triple-double as Stephen Curry's replacement, and the Golden State Warriors pulled away from the visiting New Orleans Pelicans for a 104-89 victory Wednesday.
Podziemski, who hadn't started any of Golden State's first three games until Curry sprained his left ankle on Sunday, totaled 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He had 19 points and five assists in his first start on Tuesday.
Trayce Jackson-Davis added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Jonathan Kuminga had 16 points, Draymond Green 14 and Kyle Anderson 10 for Golden State, which took the opener of the two-day, two-game series 124-106.
Green also found time for six assists, four rebounds and five blocks in 30 minutes.
Jordan Hawkins put up a game-high 23 points for New Orleans, which completed a six-day, four-game western swing with a 1-3 record.
Unlike Tuesday, when the Pelicans built a 20-point lead, the Warriors went up by 20 this time around, using spurts early in the third and fourth quarters to break open what had been a four-point game at halftime.
Two free throws by Brandon Ingram free throws got the visitors within 48-46 in the first minute of the third period, before Jackson-Davis had three hoops and Green a 3-pointer in an 11-0 burst that opened a 13-point advantage.
Golden State took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter, then scored 12 of the period's first 17 points to create a 91-71 cushion with seven minutes to play.
Hield did most of his scoring from beyond the 3-point arc, hitting 4 of 12 from deep. Golden State outscored the visitors 39-33 on 3-pointers.
Jackson-Davis shot 7-for-9 and Anderson hit all four of his attempts from the field, helping the Warriors shoot 47.1 percent as a team.
The Pelicans finished at just 36.7 percent. Even top scorer Hawkins went just 9-for-21.
Zion Williamson collected 12 rebounds to complement 12 points for New Orleans. Jose Alvarado had 16 points and Ingram 14 to go with six assists.