Warriors (1-1), Pelicans (0-2)
In a similar storyline to what took place in the Smoothie King Center two nights earlier, Anthony Davis was unstoppable Friday, this time posting 45 points and 17 rebounds. Just like Wednesday’s game vs. Denver, it wasn’t quite enough for New Orleans to come up with a victory.
Facing a historically great shooting team, the Pelicans picked a bad night to misfire from the perimeter, unable to keep up with Golden State’s prolific attack. Davis put up ridiculous numbers after going for 50 and 16 against the Nuggets, but the Pelicans shot just 5/22 from the three-point arc. Meanwhile, the Warriors didn’t have a great night either by their lofty standards, but still connected nine times on treys. That discrepancy accounted for a chunk of the final margin, as Golden State rebounded from an ugly home loss Tuesday in its opener vs. San Antonio. The Pelicans will face those same Spurs on Saturday in the second half of an extremely challenging back-to-back set.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Golden State’s Kevin Durant blocked a Davis leaning jumper, then sank a pair of free throws to make it an eight-point margin in the final minute. The Pelicans still had a glimmer of hope when they cut their deficit to six on a couple occasions, but the hosts couldn’t come up with a few crucial scores or defensive stops. Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson each tallied 20-plus points, led by Durant’s 30.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Following Warriors shootaround Friday morning, Durant said Davis’ 50-16-7 steals performance Wednesday might soon become routine for the All-Star forward. Well, Davis didn’t quite match that superhuman effort, but he still backed up Durant’s prediction with a second high-level outing. The 23-year-old scored 21 points by halftime and tacked on 24 more after intermission. He shot 17/31 from the field and 10/14 from the foul line. He also blocked two shots and came up with two steals. An incredible start to the season for the three-time All-Star.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
After Golden State built an early lead and threatened to take control in the second quarter, Dante Cunningham came in played one of his best periods as a Pelican. The reserve big scored 10 second-quarter points, including sinking a pair of treys, while also racing from behind for a spectacular block of a Durant layup attempt. For a bench that’s had a spotty start overall to the season, Cunningham (15 points) and Lance Stephenson (15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) were solid Friday.
