Will the Warriors come alive in the final matchup of their 7-game homestand or will the Pelicans continue their dominant run?
NBA Wednesdays on ABC continue with Stephen Curry and the Warriors hosting Zion Williamson and the Pelicans (8:30 ET) in a matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions.
The Pelicans (22-15) have won five of their last six games – including three by 20+ points – and enter Wednesday sixth in the Western Conference. The Warriors (17-19) have lost five of their last seven games going back to Christmas Day and are outside the Play-In field at 12th in the conference.
Home Warriors vs. road Pelicans: This is the final game of a season-long seven-game homestand for Golden State. They are just 2-4 in this stretch and 11-10 (.524) at Chase Center this season. The Pelicans have been better on the road (10-7, .588, 4th in NBA) than the Warriors have been at home this season.
CP3 out, Draymond not ready: The Warriors will be without Chris Paul, who had surgery on his left hand on Monday and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. They will also be without Draymond Green, who was reinstated following his 12-game suspension on Saturday, but is still ramping up his conditioning for a return, and is listed as out on the team’s injury report.
Warriors won last 3 meetings: Golden State went 3-0 against New Orleans in 2023, including a 28-point win in their first meeting this season on Oct. 30 behind Stephen Curry’s season-high 42 points and seven 3-pointers in 30 minutes. Will 2024 continue that trend or can the Pelicans begin a streak of their own?
Clutch time differences: No team has played in more clutch games – score within five points in the final five minutes – than Golden State (28), which has twice the experience in close games this season than New Orleans (14). Curry has appeared in 25 of those clutch games and leads all players in clutch points (113) while posting 51.6% FG, 50% 3P, 96.8% FT shooting splits.
The Pelicans are the only team in the NBA that does not have a win by three points or less this season (0-6). Instead, they are tied for the third-most wins (14) by 10+ points in the league and most in the West, trailing only Boston and Philadelphia.
