SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Warriors laid another egg at Chase Center to end their homestand, this time getting blown out by the New Orleans Pelicans, 141-105, on Wednesday night.
The game looked eerily similar to Monday’s loss to Toronto.
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Two days after allowing the Raptors to pour in 76 points in the first half, the Warriors once again were taken apart early and showed little resistance as the Pelicans piled up 73 points in the first half when a smattering of boos from the home crowd again rained down on Golden State.
The fans had plenty of reasons to be upset.
Golden State, playing what coach Steve Kerr hoped would be a pivotal stretch for his team, went just 2-5 during the homestand, four of the losses by 10-or-more points.
Stephen Curry continues to search for his steady jumper. The two-time NBA scoring champ had 15 points and six assists. He shot 4 of 13 from the field and was 3 of 8 on 3-pointers in the Warriors’ most lopsided loss this season.
Golden State Warriors
Klay Thompson spent much of his night trying to slow New Orleans’ Zion Williamson. The Warriors' shooting guard scored 13 while the Pelicans' star had 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
The bright side? Moses Moody came off the bench to score a team-high 21 points. Rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis added 19 points and five rebounds.
The Warriors (17-20) now head out on the road to try to get things turned around. Golden State travels to Chicago, Milwaukee, Memphis and Utah before returning to Chase Center.
Here are the takeaways from Wednesday’s game:
Slow out of the gate again
One of the Warriors’ biggest issues during this homestand has been their slow starts. That was on full display again against the Pelicans.
For the umpteenth time this season, the Warriors came out slow. Like it did two days earlier against Toronto, Golden State turned the ball over on its first two possessions and had seven overall in the first quarter. New Orleans converted the early turnovers into 11 points and led 46-27 after one quarter.
Also like the Raptors game, the Warriors' defense was terrible at times and allowed the Pelicans to put up 73 points in the first half – three fewer than Toronto did. New Orleans led by 25 at one point before Golden State made a mini run and got within 73-60 at halftime. But Golden State was never really able to get out of the hole they dug for themselves.
Replacing Paul isn't easy
Chris Paul’s fractured left hand created a void in the Warriors' rotations, and Steve Kerr tried to fill it with the combination of rookie Brandin Podziemski and veteran Cory Joseph. At best, the results were mixed.
Podziemski got the first crack at the job and had a rough night all around. The rookie was looking to pass more than he was searching for his shot, and he finished with two points, two assists and nine rebounds. One of the Podz’s best plays came early when he found Klay Thompson cutting along the baseline for an easy bucket.
Podziemski was a minus-31 for the game.
Joseph, who ran the point when he and Podziemski were on the court together, didn’t have a signature moment and was called for an offensive foul while he was trying to set a screen in the second quarter. Joseph had two points and two assists in 17 minutes.
Moses the marvelous one
Moody seemed to get lost in the lineup shuffle in recent weeks but he had his second big game in a row while coming off the bench. Moody, who replaced Podziemski in the starting lineup to open the second half, scored 21 points for the second consecutive game.
The Warriors still are searching for a consistent and steady second scorer to complement Curry, and Moody could be that guy. He shot 8 of 18, made four 3-pointers and finished minus-seven, not great but not as bad as many of his teammates.
There was cause for concern late in the loss when Moody exited after grabbing his left calf.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Moody will undergo an MRI.