Preview: Warriors look to end road trip with a win against Pelicans

The Golden State Warriors layed the smackdown on the Houston Rockets last night, but they don’t have much time to dwell on that victory. On the second night of a back-to-back, they’ll be battling this evening against a quality New Orleans Pelicans team that hasn’t tasted defeat yet this season.

Oh, and did I mention the Pelicans have Zion Williamson back?

How to Watch Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans

When: October 30th, 2023 | 5:00 PM PT
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area, Bally Sports Southwest
Radio: 95.7 The Game

Williamson was drafted during the summer that the Kevin Durant version of the Warriors splintered off due to player movement, injuries, and retirements. Williamson was the first overall pick in 2019, with some of the greatest draft hype we’ve seen.

Since then he’s been a maddening combination of explosive highlight reels and extended injury absences. Over 116 games played, he’s averaged 25.8 points per game on 60% shooting from the field. But they say the best ability is availability and per ESPN’s Andrew Lewis research, “Williamson’s only been available those 116 times out of 319 games (310 regular-season games, three play-in games and a six-game playoff series in 2022) for New Orleans, none in the postseason. His injury-driven absences have regularly extended far beyond the time frames the team has initially given for potential returns.”

But this year Williamson is looking great and so are the Pelicans as he leads them in scoring. He’s flanked by Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum, two strong scorers in their own right who can pick any defense apart on a given night.

Meanwhile the Warriors aren’t undefeated in three games, but they are unbeaten in two road games. Anyone familiar with their struggles last season away from the Bay Area have to be encouraged that this team is indeed back to being road Warriors.

If the Dubs close out their first road trip with three straight wins, that’ll take the sting off of losing their home opener.