Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Pelicans Preview
Friday October 20th, 2017
NEW ORLEANS -- After an intriguing home opener for the Golden State Warriors they look to bounce back against the Pelicans tonight at the Smoothie King Arena but are weakened by the injuries they have had since the preseason. The Warriors and Pelicans look to rebound from their season openers.
Warriors forward Draymond Green, who twisted his left knee in the third quarter of a 122-121 season-opening loss to the Rockets, underwent an MRI on Wednesday, but the Warriors listed him Thursday as doubtful to play against the Pelicans on Friday night.
The good news for the Warriors examination revealed that there were "no new structural damage" to the knee, and Green accompanied the team on the three-game road trip, which includes the Warriors' first back-to-back Saturday night against Memphis and a Monday night game against Dallas.
The Warriors are more short-handed than normal off the bench. Forward Andre Iguodala practiced Wednesday after missing the opener with a strained back, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he would be "day-to-day."
Also, shooting guard Omri Casspi sprained his left ankle in the season opener after coming in with a sore right ankle.
Steve Kerr mentioned in the loss to the Rockets, the Warriors showed signs of not being physical and mentally in shape as they needed to compete at their usually efficient level. The Warriors should look back on track and
Kerr said he stressed with Curry that he can't pick up reach fouls by making "poor decisions" because the Warriors need him on the court, even if he's not shooting the ball a lot. Foul trouble made Curry struggle the whole night but he is one of the leaders and the key factor of this team and staying on the court helps them win the game.
The Pelicans showed in a 103-91 loss at Memphis on Wednesday night that their twin towers looked dominant as Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins combined for 61 points against the Grizzlies but didn't get much help from the rest of the pack. The turnovers for the Pelicans was a big struggle as they had 18 turnovers against the Grizzlies.
Davis recorded 33 points and 18 rebounds, and Cousins added 28 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven blocks, but the only other upside was guard E'Twaun Moore (11 points) who was the only other Pelican in double figures.
Point guard Jrue Holiday struggled the other night as he scored four points on 2-of-11 shooting and had only four assists against three turnovers. Holiday has moved to the point while Rajon Rondo is recovering from sports hernia surgery.
If the Pelicans want to get on the right track this season they are going to need a lot of help from their bench. The Pelicans just had only eight points from the bench compared to the Grizzlies bench that had 53 points.
This is the second game for both teams and also their first meeting of the season between the two both of them coming from losses a couple of nights ago.
