Jordan Poole and Mychal Mulder posted new career-highs in scoring as the Warriors beat the Pelicans 125-122 on Friday night in Chase Center.
This marked the third Warriors-Pelicans matchup in the last two weeks, but this one took on a different look with the best players on both teams sitting this one out. With the Pelicans eliminated from postseason contention, the Pelicans sat Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Steven Adams to allow their younger players to develop. And for the Warriors, the game didn’t matter much in the standings, as regardless of Friday’s result, Sunday’s showdown with Memphis will determine who finishes in eighth place in the Western Conference, and thus would only need one win in next week’s Play-In Tournament to advance to the NBA Playoffs.
TEAM LEADERS
Several Warriors players took advantage of the opportunity for extra playing time, and the Dubs’ starting backcourt of Poole and Mulder were among those shining bright. The Dubs duo got the Warriors off to a blistering start, as the team shot 68 percent during a 41-pointfirst quarter, a season-high for the Warriors in the opening period. The Dubs shot 8-for-12 on 3-pointers in the quarter, and four of those came from Mulder. Poole added two more treys to finish with 14 of his career-high 38 points in the period.
Fortunately for the Warriors, Poole saved some magic for the end of the game as well. After the Warriors had lost what was a 19-point advantage, Poole put the Warriors back in front with a driving layup with just over 20 seconds left in the game. The Dubs got a defensive stop on the other end of the floor before Poole secured the game with a pair of free throws to finish off the first 30-point game of his career.
Mulder finished with 28 points, a new career-high, while shooting 7-for-13 on 3-pointers. Kent Bazemore added 14 points and Nico Mannion came through with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. In addition, Juan Toscano-Anderson did it all with nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists in his first game after signing a multi-year contract with the Dubs on Thursday.
Eric Paschall returned to the court after missing the last 20 games with a left hip flexor strain, and he made one of the biggest plays of the night for the Warriors. After a 12-0 Pelicans run in the fourth quarter had given New Orleans their first lead of the game, Paschall ended a five-minute-plus scoring drought when he tipped in a missed shot with 33.1 seconds left. The shot gave Paschall a 12-point game on 4-for-5 shooting, and he also made his lone 3-point attempt.
The Warriors have won their first five games of the regular season closing homestand, and they’re set up for the most important game of the season on Sunday against the Grizzlies, as the winner of that will take eighth place in the West, which translates to a more favorable position in the Play-In Tournament to qualify for the NBA Playoffs.
More Notables ...
- The Warriors won their fifth-straight game, a season-long winning streak, both overall and at home.
- Tonight marked the third and final game in their season series vs. New Orleans, winning 2-1… The Warriors have won 14 of their last 16 home contest vs. New Orleans.
- Golden State’s 75 points scored in the first half matched its season-high for points in either half (75 on 4/14 at OKC)… The Warriors scored a season-high 41 first-quarter points (previous: 39 on 5/3 at NOP), marking their sixth 40-point quarter this season.
- The Warriors are now 8-3 all-time in regular season games in May (7-1 this season).
- Jordan Poole scored a career-high 38 points (previous: 26, two times)… Poole also scored a career-high 24 points in the first-half points, the most he has scored in any half (previous: 19 in the second half on 2/8/20 vs. LAL)… He also set new career highs in free throws made (10) and attempted (11)… Poole is averaging 26.0 points on 55.8 percent from the field, 44.0 percent from three and 95.0 percent from the line over the span of his last three games… His 20-plus points scored in each of the last three games ties a career-best streak.
- Mychal Mulder tallied a career-high 28 points (previous: 26 on 4/27/21 vs. DAL)… He went 7-of-13 from three-point range, matching his most threes in a single game (5/6/21 vs. OKC).
- Juan Toscano-Anderson grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and dished out a career-high nine assists in his 16th start of the season (22nd of his career).
- Jordan Bell made his first appearance as a Warrior since June 10, 2019, Game 5 of the NBA Finals… Bell finished with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 15 minutes off the bench.
- Nico Mannion recorded a career-high eight rebounds and career-high seven assists in a career-high 32 minutes off the bench.
- Stephen Curry (tailbone contusion), Draymond Green (left finger sprain), Andrew Wiggins (left knee soreness) joined Damion Lee (health and safety protocols), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left wrist soreness), Klay Thompson (right Achilles tendon repair) and James Wiseman (right knee meniscus injury) as Warriors who did not play in tonight’s game… Wiggins missed his first game of the season.