New Orleans Pelicans vs Golden State Warriors
PREVIEW: The Golden State Warriors travel to New Orleans to face a Pelicans team reeling from injuries to key players Zion Williamson and Jordan Poole, currently sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 2-10 record. New Orleans recently made a coaching change, replacing Willie Green with interim head coach James Borrego following four straight defeats. Golden State enters this matchup having won back-to-back games and looking to build momentum on the road. The Warriors rank first in high-frequency three-point shooting at 50.1 percent of their attempts, while the Pelicans struggle significantly with inefficient three-point attempts on both ends of the floor, ranking 28th offensively and 30th defensively in shot distribution.
Stephen Curry remains the centerpiece of Golden State's offense after scoring 46 points in one recent victory and 49 in another, joining Michael Jordan as only the second player age 37 or older to record back-to-back 45-point performances. Without their usual offensive anchors, Trey Murphy III has emerged as New Orleans' primary scoring option, averaging 19.8 points per game and dropping 35 points against the Lakers in their most recent contest. The Pelicans do possess offensive rebounding prowess, ranking third with a 32.5 percent rate, though they're hampered by a slow tempo and inefficient rim attacks that rank 28th in the league. New Orleans continues to struggle offensively, averaging just 108.4 points while shooting 43.7 percent from the field, among the worst marks in the NBA.