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Warriors without three starters Steph, Green, and Wiggins beat the Pelicans
The Warriors were under no pressure in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after clinching the play-in place.
This game had little effect on the Western Conference standings.
However, the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday at Chase Center will determine the No.8 seed.
As a result, the Warriors faced less pressure to defeat the Pelicans.
However, the Warriors were without three of their key starters.
According to the source, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins are out to rest the Pelicans.
So the Warriors took the court with Jordan Poole, Nico Mannion, and Mychal Mulder in the rotation, with Jordan Bell making his Warriors debut after signing with the team earlier this season.
Despite missing their starting lineup, the Warriors upset the New Orleans Pelicans 125-122, giving them their fifth consecutive victory.
The Warriors gained the lead in the first half and won in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors are off to a good start.
The quarter began with a layup by Kevon Looney, and the Pelicans responded with a three-pointer by Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
And Mychal Mulder answered with a three-pointer, regaining the advantage.
Willy Hernangomez then hit a jumper over Looney, who was guarding him, to tie the game a minute later.
Both were knotted at 8-8 with 9:25 left in the quarter.
Then came the Warriors. Jordan Poole drives to the basket and dunks it.
As a result, the Warriors took a four-point lead against the Pelicans. Mulder then added a three-pointer to the lead.
The Warriors extended their 9-0 run to 7:12 before Eric Bledsoe scored for the Pelicans on a jumper.
The Warriors led by 9 points halfway through the quarter thanks to Juan Toscano-assist Anderson’s to Jordan Poole.
They were 15-19 at the halfway point of the first quarter.
With 5:05 remaining in the quarter, the Warriors scored five points while the Pelicans scored four.
Kevon Looney followed with a layup, pushing the advantage to seven points.
Eric Bledsoe immediately responded with a jumper from inside the free-throw line.
Poole responded with a three-pointer.
Eric Bledsoe and Hernangomez each hit a three-pointer to trim the lead to six points.
With three and a half minutes remaining, Hernangomez’s layup trimmed the lead to four points.
The Warriors, on the other hand, continued their hot shooting, with Poole hitting a three-pointer.
Following that, Nico Manion hit a three-pointer, giving the team a 10-point lead with approximately a minute and a half remaining.
Mulder then hit another three-pointer for the Warriors, making the score 28-41.
The quarter finished with the Pelicans scoring back-to-back baskets, trimming the margin to 32-41 in the final seconds.
The Warriors’ 41 points in the third quarter were a season-best and the team’s sixth 40-point period overall.
“In the first half, we didn’t try at all,” Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said.
“We didn’t try, we didn’t concentrate, we made no effort at all.”
The Warriors maintained their lead in the second quarter.
Nico opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, extending the margin to 12 points 30 seconds in.
To respond to the Warriors, the Pelicans had excellent ball movement, passing to Didi Louzada for a three-pointer.
Nico then drew a foul and scored for the Warriors on Jordan Bell’s pass.
Mulder’s alley-oop dunk gave the Warriors another bucket.
Both teams traded baskets, with the Warriors leading by 11 points with 2:41 remaining in the quarter.
Poole added another basket for the Warriors, extending their advantage to 13 points.
On the other end, James Johnson responded with a layup.
Following that, Kent Bazemore hit a jumper.
With less than two minutes remaining, the Warriors led 53-68.
The Warriors got another basket thanks to Poole and Bazemore’s combination.
Similarly, Poole’s pass to Mulder behind the three-point line resulted in another basket, bringing the quarter total to 75-57, with the Warriors leading by 18 points.
After the half, the Pelicans make a comeback.
The Pelicans were behind by 18 points entering the third quarter, but they fought back, scoring a three-pointer to start the quarter.
Naji Marshall then got a foul while driving into the rim, giving the Pelicans another bucket and trimming the advantage to 13 points.
Bazemore then stole the ball from the Pelicans, allowing the Warriors to score a bucket and Mulder to score a layup.
After James collapsed after grabbing the rebound, the Pelicans called a timeout.
The Warriors lead the Pelicans by 14 points halfway through the third quarter.
They were 75-91 with 3:09 left in the third quarter.
The Pelicans responded with a layup from Walker, which Tuscano-Anderson replied with a dunk on Nico Mannion behind the back dime.
With less than a minute remaining, Wenyen Gabriel made a three-pointer to cut the deficit to eight points.
They then trimmed the lead to six points with 13.8 seconds remaining.
However, the Warriors finished the quarter with a three-pointer in the final seconds, giving them a nine-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, there was a lot of hustling.
The Pelicans began to pick up the tempo after closing to within six points in the third quarter, while the Warriors attempted to maintain their advantage over the Pelicans after losing a double-figure lead.
The Warriors opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer from Mulder after Bell grabbed the rebound.
Mannion then passed to Alen Smailagic for a three-pointer, giving the Warriors their 12th point of the game.
The Pelicans were then led by Jaxon Hayes’ jumper.
With 8:52 remaining, the score was 101-110.
Mulder then made a layup as Hayes got a foul and scored on the other end.
Poole followed that with a three-pointer.
Halfway into the third quarter, the Pelicans were still trailing the Warriors.
Poole hit a jumper with a Warriors fan cheering in the background to set a new career high.
With around five minutes remaining, the lead was decreased to eight points.
Mannion was blocked at the rim, and Poole’s subsequent turnover offered the Pelicans an opportunity to redeem themselves.
Hayes took the shot but missed, but Wenyen Gabriel nailed the rebound, cutting the game to four points with three and a half minutes remaining.
The Warriors made another error when Bazemore missed a layup, giving the Pelicans another bucket as Naji Marshall scored on the opposite end.
With 2:15 remaining in the game, the score was 117-119.
Nickeil eventually gave the Pelicans the lead with a three-pointer off a pass from Kira Lewis Jr.
With 33.1 seconds left in the quarter, Paschall tipped off on Mannion’s miss.
Nickeil quickly collected the ball and drove to the other end, but was blocked by Bell on the first attempt, but scored right away to reclaim the lead.
Poole then scored a layup off Mannion’s feed to give the Warriors the lead.
Walker attempted to shoot but missed, and Bazemore caught the ball and passed to Paschall before he went out of the court with the ball, keeping the ball alive with 2.4 seconds left in the game.
The Warriors then took a three-point lead over the Pelicans when Poole hit his final two free throws.
A fantastic night for the Warriors’ young players.
The game was the third in two weeks between the Warriors and the Pelicans, but this one was different because both teams’ best players sat out.
With the Pelicans out of playoff contention, they rested Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Steven Adams to give their younger players a chance to develop.
And the Warriors rest their key players, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggings, for Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, which determines the Western Conference’s top eight.
As a result, if the Warriors defeat the Grizzlies, they will just need one win to qualify for the NBA Playoffs.
The absence of the starter in tonight’s game allowed numerous Warriors players to see additional playing time.
They took full advantage of the opportunity, and several even set new career highs.
Jordan Poole and Mychal Mulder, the backcourt tandem, were among these guys.
Both players scored their career-high points.
Poole led the Warriors with a career-high 38 points on 12 for 22 shooting in his first career 30-point game and third straight game with 20-plus points.
Poole also went to the locker room with 9:52 left in the third quarter but returned after wrapping ice on his ankle.
He subsequently finished with a career-high 42 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.
“He came back on fire,” Golden State’s Mychal Mulder said of Poole’s return from an ankle injury.
“I believe it just speaks to his tenacity, character, and will to win.” That’s something he possesses, and it’s impressive.”
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Even Coach Kerr was taken aback by his return from injury
“You’re always terrified when someone goes down with a rolled ankle because you don’t know how severe it is,” coach Steve Kerr said.
“I was taken aback when he came back into the game.”
Not only Jordan Poole, but all of the other players shone with their performances.
Mychal Mulder set a new career high with 28 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist.
Similarly, Kent Bazemore scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds, and helped the Warriors win.
Nico Mannion, on the other hand, had 11 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
He had a career-high 32 minutes off the bench and a career-high 32 rebounds and assists.
After missing the previous 20 games due to injury, Eric Paschall led the Warriors bench with 12 points.
Juan Toscano-Anderson had a career-high nine assists to go along with nine points and nine rebounds.
Jordan Bell, who signed with the Warriors on Thursday, made his first appearance as a Warrior since Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 10, 2019.
In 15 minutes off the bench, he had five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
On the other hand, certain Pelicans players shone even without their star players.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Pelicans with 30 points after gaining momentum throughout the contest.
He had five rebounds and four assists.
Similarly, Naji Marshall had 20 points, 13 rebounds, a double-double, and three assists.
Willy Hernangomez had 10 points and 9 rebounds.
Eric Bledsoe had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 16 minutes of action.
Jaxon Hayes led the bench with 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Wenyen Gabriel added 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
The Pelicans play the Lakers on Sunday night, while the Warriors play the Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon, both with seeding on the line.
