Warriors rest stars and fall 128-83 in lifeless loss to Pelicans

The Golden State Warriors were dominated by the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday 128-83. While the Dubs fell to 8-10 in the standings, this loss was far from a surprise after the team decided to sit Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green on the second half of a back-to-back. Without the team’s stars, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gave several youngsters an opportunity to impress. Unsurprisingly, they did not.

The Warriors started well defensively but had no offensive firepower. New Orleans slowly pulled away in the second quarter, leading 14-4, halfway through the quarter. When Ty Jerome replaced Jordan Poole, the Dubs had even less offense on the court. The Pelicans heated up from behind the arc towards the end of the quarter and led 35-16. Poole sparked a rally that briefly cut the lead to 15 late in the second quarter, but the Warriors never got closer than that.

Brandon Ingram was the star of the night, scoring 34 points on just 19 shots from the field in less than 31 minutes of action. Devonte’ Graham was 6-for-11 from three on the night, recording 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Jonas Valančiūnas recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. CJ McCollum and Jose Alvarado were the only other Pelicans players in double figures.

Poole led the Warriors with 26 points while Jonathan Kuminga was second on the team with 18. However, both of their final statlines showed what many of the Warriors youngsters had on Monday: a lack of any semblance of a well-rounded game. Poole did not record a single rebound or assist while Kuminga had just 3 boards and 2 assists. Given how much both players were involved, it sure seems like an indictment of their overall effort.

JaMychal Green and Moses Moody scored 10 points apiece, but no one else on the Warriors reached double-digits in any statistical category. The bench Dubs did rack up turnovers and fouls though.

It was ugly. As expected. The Warriors will now head back to the Bay Area, preparing to host the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center on Wednesday.