For the second-straight game (and second-straight night), the Warriors overcame a sluggish start to earn a home victory, this time a 110-95 defeat of the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. Golden State trailed by double-digits at the end of the first quarter and didn’t take their first lead until just before halftime, but a second half surge proved to be enough to clinch the victory. The Warrior were paced by the Splash Brothers, as Stephen Curry scored 22 of his team-leading 27 points in the second half, while Klay Thompson added 24 points and four three-pointers. With the win, Golden State sweeps their home back-to-back set and improves to 15-5 on the season.
TEAM LEADERS
GSW
NOP
Points
Points
Curry - 27
Davis - 30
Thompson - 24
Holiday - 24
Iguodala - 14
Moore - 16
Rebounds
Rebounds
Green - 7
Davis - 15
Pachulia - 6
Cousins - 7
Looney / Bell - 5
Holiday - 6
Assists
Assists
Green - 8
Holiday / Rondo - 6
Curry - 6
Nelson - 5
Iguodala - 4
Cousins - 4
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Not only was it Golden State’s second game in as many nights, but in both situations they were without Kevin Durant, who missed his second-straight game with an ankle sprain. On the back end of a back-to-back without the typical scoring punch provided by Durant, the Dubs were dependent on their ‘strength in numbers’ to get the job done, and that’s precisely what happened.
Andre Iguodala provided perhaps his best performance of the young season, totaling a season-high 14 points and four assists in 31 minutes. It was the fourth time this season Iguodala scored in double-figures, which have all coincided with games that Durant has missed. Golden State has won all four of those games.
Zaza Pachulia was another player who stepped up when called upon for the Warriors. Not only did he make life hard on DeMarcus Cousins, who was limited to just 15 points on 11 shots, but Pachulia provided some scoring as well, totaling 10 points in addition to his seven rebounds.
MAKING 'THE TOWN' PROUD
The Dubs got the result they wanted on Saturday, and they looked great while doing it. Golden State debuted their new ‘The Town’ Statement jerseys as an ode to the culture and legacy of the City of Oakland. The uniforms featured ‘The Town’ above a new team crest, which employs Oakland's family Oaktree (a design found on street signs and sourced by the team through Oakland's city government). Additionally, that same design was used as the center court logo for the contest.
KLAY'S SECOND
The Dubs struggled mightily from the field in the first quarter, making just seven of their 27 shot attempts, which played a significant role in them trailing 31-17 at the end of one. In fact, Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday singlehandedly matched Golden State with 17 points of his own in the opening quarter. However, once the second quarter started, the Warriors began to climb back in the game, thanks in large part to the play of Klay Thompson. After scoring just two points in the first frame, Thompson added another 14 in the second, which included four three-pointers.
CURRY'S THIRD
Not to be outdone, the other Splash Brother took over once the second half commenced. Stephen Curry was limited to only five points in the first half, but got rolling in the third frame, as he so often does. The two-time MVP would go on to total 14 points of his own in the third, and another eight in the fourth.
UP NEXT
Golden State will attempt to close out an undefeated homestand when they host the Sacramento Kings at Oracle Arena on Monday night.