Battle for Play-in: GSW vs NOP, Steph ninth 40 point game

This article was last updated by on

No. 11 in the Western Conference New Orleans Pelicans faced off No.9 Golden State Warriors for their 1st back-to-back games starting tonight.

The Warriors took the first win of the back-to-back games defeating the Pelicans 123-108 to keep their position for the play-in tournament.

With the win, they are on their way to clinching the spot for the play-in tournament.

The Warriors who were at 32-32 improved to 33-32 with a win percentage of .508 equal to eighth place Memphis Grizzlies.

Memphis Grizzlies stand at 32-31 with 9 games left to play.

The Warriors started the game with a strong run that they maintained throughout the game to defeat the Pelicans.

Now, the Pelicans are four games behind No.9 place Warriors with seven games remaining.

Stephen Curry’s ninth forty-plus game lifts the Warriors past the Pelicans.

Golden State Warriors dominating the first quarter

The Warriors opened Monday’s game taking the early lead with a 12-1 run.

Stephen Curry scored a layup on Draymond Green’s pass to make 4-0 30 seconds into the game.

Draymond then blocked Pelicans star, Zion Williamson, and Warriors Andrew Wiggins hitting a jumper on the next possession.

Again Wiggins sored in and dropped a layup making 6-1 with 10:12 left in the game 

Stephen and Wiggins scoring again to make it 12-1 early in the quarter before Pelicans Willy Hernangomez scored.

Draymond scored in the next possession to answer back taking 11 point lead.

Steph scored a three pointer on Draymond’s pass making 14-5 game 7:43 remaining.

He made 7 points after scoring the three pointer playing 5 points going 3 of 4 from the field.

 The Pelicans trailed the Warriors throughout the quarter after hot shooting from the Warriors.

 Zion scored the basket to cut the lead to five point with 5:33 remaining in the game.

Soon Draymond and Steph showed a tic-tac-toe to pass it Juan Toscano to score a three pointer.

Subsequently another tic-tac-toe pass came to Toscano for another three-pointer, extending the lead back to 11 point.

Steph hit back-to-back three pointers bringing game to 36-19 with 1:37 remaining in the game.

The first quarter ended with the Warriors taking 18 point lead.

Warriors continuous lead in the second

Zion Williamson paced up scoring first point of the quarter. Then scored again on Lonzo Ball’s pass.

However, the Warriors continued their scoring run bringing game to 42-27 with 7:53 remaining.

Jordan Poole scored bucket and subsequently scored a three-pointer again on Kent Bazemore pass.

With the scoring, the Warriors made a 14-4 run before Brandon Ingram scored for the Pelicans to cut 22 point lead by 2 point.

Before Steph answered with a layup right back and Poole scoring again with a three-pointer.

Pelicans did try to get back in the game at final few minutes of the game making a 9-0 run to bring scoring to 62-46.

 Draymond aggressively drives to the basket scoring for the Warriors to break the run.

However Pelicans answered right back with a bucket and Bledsoe drew a foul scoring a bucket as well with 28.6 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

Ball hits a three-pointer from Naji Marshall’s pass at the buzzer to end the quarter at 66-51.

Pelicans hot start in the third.

Just as they ended the second quarter, they started the third in the same way, scoring the first bucket.

Subsequently hitting another bucket before  Curry dropped from behind the arc.

He hit another bucket from behind the arc in the next possession making his fifth of the night.

Bledsoe hit a three-pointer over Curry to start 10-3 run for the Pelicans.

Steph hits his seventh three-pointer with Ball defending him with 2:05 remaining in the game.

Mychal Mulder hit the three-pointer with 56.7 left on the clock and the Warriors end the quarter 97-80.

The Warriors hold onto the lead.

Zion Williamson started the quarter scoring a bucket and Wiggins answering right back with a shot from behind the arc.

Both the teams went back and forth scoring the buckets with Pelicans trailing the Warriors with more than ten points for rest of the quarter.

Ultimately, the Warriors taking the 123-108 win for their 1st back-to-back match.

The Pelicans and the Warriors meet again for their next match.

Stephen Curry ninth forty plus game.

It was unrealistic for the Warriors to compete for the title this season with Klay Thompson missing back-to-back season with injury and entire rooster changing.

And the Warriors going in rebuilding phase. Also most recently Kelly Oubre’s injury putting him to rest for the entire season.

Steph drops 41 for the Win
Golden State Warriors Steph drops 41 for the Win (source:mercurynews.com)

However Stephen Curry impressive shooting and unlimited range along with other players stepping up to put an impressive performance is putting them back into the contender for the playoffs.

As they almost clinch a spot in the play-in tournament.

And this win against the Pelicans has lifted their chance to play in the play-in tournament even more.

Key player in this win is none other than Stephen Curry who dropped ninth forty plus game, scoring 41 points along with 4 rebounds and 8 assists.

He dropped 17 points in the first quarter to dominate the Pelicans from the start.

The Warriors star scored 23 of his 40 points in the third quarter and also made 8 three-pointers in the match.

Teammates on Steph’s game.

“Anytime you step on the floor with Steph Curry, there’s an advantage there,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said.

“So, teams are terrified of him and everywhere he runs on the floor, with or without the ball, teams are terrified. That type of gravity, he pulls a lot of weight.

“I wouldn’t want to see a team with Steph Curry on it. We all know what he’s capable of. The guy can take over a game and make it hard for any team in the NBA on any given night.”

“If you get into a street fight and you’ve got Mike Tyson standing on the side of you, how you gonna feel?” Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson said.

“That’s the best analogy I can give you. He’s just, he’s different, man. So, I know if I get into a pickle, I’m looking for him; he’s going to make something happen more often than not.

The defense, he’s just a magnet; the defense is just gravitating towards him, so it’s opening up a lot of things.”

Draymond fifth triple-double.

On the way to scoring forty plus and win the game, he received help from his fellow teammates.

“You can feel it,” Curry said. “Especially like a night like tonight where I get it going in the first quarter, it boosts everybody’s confidence that we can create good shots.

“At the end of the day, that’s what a vet’s supposed to do; they’re supposed to uplift everybody. And I get energy from them when they meet that intensity and that aggressiveness and that attitude that we have.”

Andrew Wiggins dropped 26 points and 4 rebounds following Steph right behind on the score board for the Warriors.

Draymond Green grabbed his fifth triple-double in the game scoring 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 Assists.

“If you had to pick one guy in the NBA to guard Zion, Draymond would be that guy,” Kerr said.

“Because he’s seen everything, he’s the smartest defender in the league, but he’s got the strength to be able to stay in front of him.

And we tried to help as much as we could without completely leaving shooters, but when you have Draymond, it’s the ultimate weapon defensively.”

Juan Toscano-Anderson led the Warriors bench scoring 14 points, 4 assists, and 5 rebounds followed by Jordan Poole who scored 11 points.

Zion Williamson led the Pelicans.

 On the other hand, Zion Williamson dropped 32 points, 8 rebounds, and a assist for the Pelicans.

Similarly, Brandon Ingram scored 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.

And Willy Hernangomez dropped 10 points, 7 rebounds, and a assist who was only the other to score double points for the Pelicans starter.

Meanwhile, Naji Marshall led the Pelicans bench, scoring 12 points with 6 rebounds. Likewise, Eric Bledsore contributed 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Pelicans and Warriors meet again on Tuesday to wrap up the back-to-back set.

 

 

Bikram Jirel
Bikram Jirel

Bikram Jirel

Bikram Jirel is a versatile editor and writer with a deep-seated passion for sports and storytelling. With a keen understanding of audience preferences and trends, he crafts compelling narratives that captivate readers and offer unique perspectives on the world of sports.

Expertise:

Editorial Strategy Trendspotting

Highlights

  • Bikram develops strategic editorial plans that align with the publication's goals and objectives, identifying key themes, topics, and trends to cover.
  • Bikram utilizes data analytics and audience feedback to inform editorial decisions and optimize content performance.

Experience

Bikram brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role as an editor and writer. He is committed to delivering high-quality content that educates, entertains, and inspires readers, driving the publication's mission to be a trusted source of sports news and insights.

Related articles

Comments

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share article

Latest News