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San Francisco, CA – The Golden State Warriors had another exciting game inside the Chase Center, as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 126-85. That was a 41 point victory against a struggling team. There were a lot of good things to take away from this game and some bad. Still, overall it was another solid game for Stephen Curry and the Dubs.
Let's look at three Warriors takeaways from the game that was.
Warriors Takeaways After Victory Over Pelicans
Hot Starts
Curry and the Warriors' offense got off to a quick start like they usually do. After an excellent first quarter, that's when problems hit. A massive drop in productivity occurred. After scoring 38 points in the first quarter, the team scored 16 points in the second. They went into half-time with a 54-50 lead when the game should have been out of reach already.
In the second quarter, the scoring usually slows down when Curry is resting. But the problem in this game is when Curry returned, he didn't score a single point, and he wasn't the only starter who went scoreless in that quarter. Andrew Wiggins scored 8 points in the first quarter, then produced a goose egg in the second.
The Warriors have to figure out how to keep their foot on the gas when having double-digit leads, or it can turn into a problem later down the road. It wasn't the case in this game, but it's something to keep an eye on.
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What is a foul?
The new foul rule is a thing of beauty to basketball fans, but for some players, it's been a nightmare. Jordan Poole is probably one of those guys. He's repeatedly getting hit while shooting the ball. The new shooting rule has resulted in two technical fouls for him this season. His most recent one came during a timeout as he walked over to the bench, still chirping about the no-call.
It wasn't just that situation in this game. The Warriors weren't getting the whistle blown on their behalf much in the first half. It seemed like black jerseys were being tossed around like rag dolls in this match. But to be fair, fouls weren't being called both ways. It was 12 fouls called in the first half, and seven were on the Warriors and 5 on the Pelicans. Despite not getting the whistle blown for them, the Warriors dominated other parts of the game and convincingly won.
Playing through adversity is a huge key to winning a championship. When the refs aren't on your side, you have to figure out how to win. So this was an excellent thing to see early in the season.
It was a Poole party
Jordan Poole had a few bad games this season. But Friday night, he put together his second consecutive impressive game against the Pelicans. Poole finished the night with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He knocked down 6 three-pointers and had the crowd going wild inside of the Chase Center.
Poole's performance once again came at a good time. Stephen Curry made 5 threes but didn't have a good night shooting. He was 5-of-15 from the field and finished with under 20 points for the second time this season. He scored 19, but it was Poole's 26 and the scoring from the rest of the team that led them to a blowout victory.
Winning when Curry struggles is a significant win for the Warriors. If they can win by 41 points when he's playing poorly, what would the score be if he played well?
Next, the Warriors will face the Houston Rockets as they try to continue their dominating team play.
