New Orleans Pelicans vs Golden State Warriors

Friday night sees two differing sides as the home team the New Orleans Pelicans face the Golden State Warriors.

It would be the third time around that Western Conference team will be facing each other this season with the Warriors basking on home victories which they achieved in a double featured match in October.

The losses are mounting up for a struggling New Orleans Pelicans team after they were outplayed 128-100 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the latter’s home floor Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in the Wednesday night’s play.

After having tasted defeat in their first game of the new season, Ty Jerome scored 29 points and made seven threes, and Jarrett Allen as well as Jaylen Tyson both managed a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds and helped the Cavs secure their 16th victory.

Scoring leaders, including Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Brandon Ingram, were missing in action several contributors, but Antonio Reeves set a new single-season high of 34 points, while rookie Yves Missi scored 12 points in 19 minutes for New Orleans.

New Orleans’ last ten fixtures have yielded nine defeats; they emerged as mere 101-94 winners versus Denver on November 16 Only four of the 16 games marked on the Pelicans’ calendar have returned victories; the NBA rankings see the team perpetually languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference table.

Up next in their schedule leaves Willie Green’s men to face the highly mobile Golden State Warriors team which they have faced once in both conferences’ month of October where they lost in two consecutive fixtures.

The Warriors triumphed 124-106 over the Pelicans in the first meeting this season on October 30 before dominating 104-89 on November 1; Buddy Hield scoring 49 points in two matches.

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Atlanta Hawks 120-97 at the Chase Center on Wednesday night, securing their position atop the Western Conference power rankings.

Andrew Wiggins finished the game with a game-high 27 points on an effective 71% shooting from the field as the Warriors came out firing, outscoring Atlanta 41-22 in the first quarter to set the tone.

Six Warriors players finished with double figures, including Stephen Curry, who scored 23 points, and Trayce Jackson-Davis, who recorded a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, as the Hawks once again failed to find their offensive rhythm.

Due to their strong play at both ends of the nation, Steve Kerr's team has improved to 11-3 this season, including 5-1 at home. They are currently the third-highest scoring team in the league (119.6), while giving up the fifth-fewest points (109.1) and the second-fewest field goal percentage (43.7%).

While Jordan Hawkins and Herb Jones have been ruled out due to back and shoulder injuries, respectively, Dejounte Murray (hand fracture), CJ McCollum (adductor), and Williamson (hamstring) are still out.

In an attempt to alleviate their mounting injury problems, the Pelicans signed free agent Elfrid Payton. The seasoned guard had a strong start against Cleveland, scoring 11 points, dishing out eight assists, and pulling down five rebounds.

As for the Golden State Warriors, De'Anthony Melton will be sidelined for the rest of the season due to surgery to repair his sprained ACL.