National Basketball Association

Game Preview: New Orleans Pelicans vs Golden State Warriors

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:09 p.m. ET

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Mar 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) dribbles the ball as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) defends in the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans stay at home after a disappointing loss, facing a fearsome buzzsaw who suffered their own unfortunate defeat on Tuesday night.

We know Wednesday was hard, guys. It was for all of us. Even amid an historic night for Anthony Davis, the New Orleans Pelicans were unable to secure a victory at home against a Nuggets team that isn’t even demonstrably more talented than the Pels.

Another team faced disappointment in Game One though, and that team is at a talent advantage every time it plays a basketball game. The Golden State Warriors suffered a 29-point blowout at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Their unfathomable Big Four wasn’t enough to overpower the well-balanced attack of the Spurs, and Kawhi Leonard ate people up.

It will be an interesting battle of superstars tonight in the Crescent City, and the Pels will need another mammoth statistical line from Davis to have a chance.

Remember, the Dubs started last season 24-0, while the Pelicans lost 11 of their first 12 contests. The teams met on opening night last year, and it spelled the beginning of the end for a Pelicans team that was forced to start both Nate Robinson and Kendrick Perkins due to injury concerns. This year, you’d hope for a more competitive contest.

Against Denver, AD was able to exploit mismatches against every member of the frontcourt, stacking a bevy of jumpers, floaters, and layups atop one another on his way to 50 points. He won’t have that benefit against Draymond Green or Kevin Durant, but there’s hope against every other player.

Andre Iguodala is an All-World defender, but will have a hard time containing Davis’s size. Zaza Pachulia is like a traffic cone to someone as athletic and long as AD. The backup bigs are a weakness for this team. One of KD and Green may need to be on Davis at all times for GSW to contain him.

Then again, the Pels lost despite Davis’s insane performance two nights ago, and the Warriors possess the offensive firepower to win games by simply outscoring and outpacing their opponent. They might be content allowing Davis to continue his surge if it means corralling the other players and winning the game.

Oct 26, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) takes a shot while defended by New Orleans Pelicans guard Tim Frazier (2) in the second quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Who, When, Where and How to Watch

When and Where: The game will be played at 8:30 PM CST in New Orleans.

How To Watch: The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Injuries:

New Orleans: Jrue Holiday (Personal Reasons), Quincy Pondexter (Left Knee) and Tyreke Evans (Right Knee) are all out.

Golden State: Damian Jones (Torn Pectoral) is out, but was not expected to be a part of the rotation in any case.

Probable Starting Lineups:

New Orleans: PG Tim Frazier, SG E’Twaun Moore, SF Solomon Hill, PF Anthony Davis, C Omer Asik

Golden State: PG Stephen Curry, SG Klay Thompson, SF Kevin Durant, PF Draymond Green, C Zaza Pachulia

Other Players to Watch:

New Orleans: Buddy Hield, Terrence Jones, Langston Galloway and Lance Stephenson

Golden State: Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, David West

What’s Next for the Pelicans?

An away back-to-back in San Antonio. Woof.

Oct 26, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) is defended by Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler (21) in the first quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Staying disciplined will be tonight’s determinant of success

On Wednesday, the Pelicans allowed 14 second-chance points, compared to only three of their own (per NBA.com). However, they were even with the Nuggets in terms of points in the paint overall. Yet the team allowed starting Center Jusuf Nurkic to get hot early, versatile wing Danilo Gallinari to bridge the gap to crunch time, and Kenneth Faried to fill in everywhere in between.

To beat the Warriors, you’re going to need an aggressive and disciplined defense. That means successful and communicative switching, physical on-ball pressure, and protecting both the rim and the three-point line. The Pelicans have armed themselves with guys who fit nicely into games like these, and tonight will be the first test of how well it meshes. A lot sits on Anthony Davis’s shoulders on defense as well.

More from Pelican Debrief

No player in the league can stop Kevin Durant one-on-one over 48 minutes, but Solomon Hill will try like hell. E’Twaun Moore has the length to make Klay Thompson work, and Anthony Davis will help minimize Draymond Green’s impact. Yet there is nowhere to hide Tim Frazier, energetic and focused as he can be on defense. Steph Curry will make him pay for a split-second wrong decision. Expect the Dubs to exploit that mismatch as often as possible when the starter’s play.

Langston Galloway looks the part of a Curry stopper– players like Patrick Beverley and Matthew Dellavedova have had success in the recent past bulldogging Curry from the half-court line in. We argued even after game one that Galloway should get more minutes, and this is the perfect matchup for him to show his value.

But the thing about the Warriors is that while you probably won’t even win the individual matchups, you’re at an even greater disadvantage playing against their offensive system. Their shooting is designed to exploit common coverages and demand quick decision-making for defenses. Teams that have been together for as short a time as the Pels will have a rough go of overcoming the instincts that the Warriors take advantage of on every possession.

If the best defenders on the team (Hill, Galloway, Davis) get more minutes, and someone else on the offense clicks, there might be a recipe for a home victory. Yet the truth remains that the early-season, fresh Dubs will play Buddy Hield, Alexis Ajinca, and Omer Asik off the court, and the rest of the rotation will have to play at its absolute best for the team to have a chance.

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