On the court, the Warriors and Pelicans also decided to pay tribute to that low-scoring era of hoops by throwing copious amounts of rocks in the Warriors’ 113-109 loss to New Orleans.
Golden State shot just 40% and 23% from behind the arc, while the Pelicans had a 43% accuracy rate from the field.
The Warriors got as close as 104-103 with 1:47 left in the game, but Saddiq Bey pushed the lead back to four with a scooping and one reverse layup. Three free throws from De’Anthony Melton cut the deficit to three after another Pelicans scored, but the Pelicans held on for the win on a pair of empty Warriors possessions.
Melton scored a season-high 28 points and threw down a shocking poster dunk in the second half, while Moses Moody continued to shoot well, scoring 24. Brandin Podziemski came off the bench to score 16 and grab 16 rebounds. Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 26 points.
The Warriors were without Steph Curry (runner’s knee) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness), as neither man made the trip with the team.
That lack of firepower was evident in the first half, as the visitors shot just 31.3% from the field and made a whopping 23% of their triples in the opening 24 minutes. Melton’s off-the-bounce play and Moody’s timely shot were the only things keeping the Warriors offense afloat.
It was only through sheer effort – and the ineptitude of the basement-dwelling Pelicans – that the Warriors trailed just 46-39 at halftime.
The Warriors even took a 58-57 lead with six minutes left in the third, but a layup by Derik Queen gave the Pelicans the lead back with three minutes left. The Pelicans led 77-72 as Dejounte Murray played his first game of the season.
The Warriors ran out of steam down the stretch, while the talented but raw Pelicans made enough shots to extend the lead.
The Warriors (30-28) play at Memphis on Wednesday and then have two days off before facing LeBron James and the Lakers on Saturday.
Draymond Green returns
After missing Monday’s game due to lower back soreness, Draymond Green returned to the starting lineup against New Orleans. The results were mixed in the first half.
On one end of the floor, Green was his vintage self against Williamson. He denied the Pelicans’ favorable position, while also flying around as a weak help defender.
But on the attack… For Green it was an evening to quickly forget. Yes, he scored 11 points, but the Pelicans didn’t care. Green’s defender routinely dropped 5 to 10 feet away from Green even when he had the ball, inviting innocent drives into the paint.
That changed in the second half, when Green handled the ball much less but remained active as a screener and option for layups in the dunker’s spot.
Green finished the night with a plus-5 while shooting 5-for-11 to go with seven rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots.
Former warriors on pelicansA few familiar faces were scattered around the Pelicans roster when the Warriors tipped off. Center Kevon Looney and guard Jordan Poole lined up against the team they helped win a championship.
Looney didn’t play a single minute after being outmatched in the rotation by Queen and DeAndre Jordan. Poole got more playing time, coming off the bench and scoring 12 while grabbing six rebounds.
Kuminga’s Hawks debut
After almost three weeks of waiting and anticipation, former Warrior Jonathan Kuminga made his debut for the Hawks on Tuesday evening.
The Warriors had sent Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta in exchange for Porzingis. In his first game back from a bone injury that had sidelined him since January, Kuminga stunned the Hawks crowd.
He scored 27 points on efficient 8-of-12 shooting from the field, coming off the bench to lead the charge in a 119-98 win in Atlanta. Hield did not play.
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