The undermanned Warriors chase the Pelicans in two games

The New Orleans Pelicans will hope to have learned from their experience as they seek separation in the second game of their NBA-style doubleheader against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in San Francisco.

Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody — all making their first starts this season for Golden State — combined for 64 points on Tuesday night. The trio led the Warriors from a 20-point deficit to a 124-106 victory in the opener of the two-game, two-game sequence.

Back-to-back scheduling of the same opponent is rare for most NBA teams, but not for the Pelicans, who already experienced it in Portland last week.

On this occasion, the Pelicans watched as the Trail Blazers exacted revenge for a 105-103 loss on Friday with a 125-103 win on Sunday.

New Orleans is now in a position of revenge, something Zion Williamson is looking forward to.

“That’s the beauty of the NBA,” he said after Tuesday’s loss. “Sometimes you see the team again the next day or two days later. Sometimes you have to wait. But you still get a chance.”

Williamson had 31 points and Brandon Ingram 30 for the Pelicans, but they combined for 10 of the visitors' 24 turnovers. Williamson had seven errors, just one less than Golden State's team total.

As a result, the Warriors were able to overcome a 54.1 to 47.4 percent shooting disadvantage by making 23 more shots. Golden State made six more field goals than New Orleans in the game.

The Warriors finished the game with twelve more 3-point shots than the Pelicans and shot 21 for 46 (45.7 percent) from distance.

With Stephen Curry sidelined with an ankle injury, Hield led the long-range fire with seven three-pointers. Moody scored 15 of his 17 points on 5-for-6 shooting from distance.

Even without Andrew Wiggins and De'Anthony Melton due to back injuries, the Warriors showed better play in the win. Golden State's eight reserves outscored the Pelicans' seven backups 54-30.

Lindy Waters III, one of the last to come off the bench in Golden State's first three games when the team was at full strength, played 31 minutes Wednesday and responded with 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted afterward that he wasn't surprised by the former Oklahoma City Thunder reserve's performance.

“I’ve said it since the first day of camp: This guy is a ballplayer,” Kerr said. “The game flows when he’s out there. It's not just because he's a good shot; he is a good basketball player. It's the shots he doesn't take because of his patience, it's the cuts he makes to the basket, he gets into the fight defensively.

“Honestly, this guy was one of our best players from day one of training camp. We couldn't get him out until (Tuesday). I'm just happy to have that depth on nights like tonight where we're missing three guys and that's going to pay off for us over the course of the 82 (games).”

–Field level media