What we learned as Warriors lose to Pelicans, fall to No. 10 in West

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What we learned as Warriors lose to Pelicans, fall to No. 10 in West originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Basketball teams always preach the importance of a four-quarter game. The Warriors’ 114-109 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at Chase Center all came down to one quarter, though.

Golden State in the first, third and fourth quarters outscored New Orleans by 18 points. In the second, the Warriors were outscored by 23 points in their five-point loss that drops them to the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed

Steph Curry led all scorers with 33 points, but his seven turnovers proved costly. Zion Williamson totaled 26 points, two fewer than teammate CJ McCollum’s 28, and Williamson swiped a career-high six steals.

Turnovers and the 3-point line were the Warriors’ ultimate demise. The Warriors gave the ball over the Pelicans 16 times, turning into 25 points for the opposition. The Pelicans held a 21-point advantage from deep. The Warriors went 13 of 34 from long distance, and the Pelicans were 20 of 38, 52.6 percent, after catching a heater in that second quarter.

Here are three takeaways from a Warriors loss that hurts them in the standings.

Disastrous Second Quarter

Any momentum the Warriors held onto from a strong first quarter quickly evaporated once the second quarter began. Chris Paul opened the frame by draining a 14-foot jumper, but the Pelicans flipped the script in no time. Especially from 3-point range.

The Pelicans came into the day averaging 12.4 made 3-pointers per game. They made only one of their eight 3-point attempts in the first quarter. The second was a team-wide barrage beyond the arc. As a team, the Pelicans watched triples dance through the net 10 times in their 13 tries.

McCollum made five, Trey Murphy III made three, and both Jose Alvarado and Dyson Daniels made one three apiece.

What had to be even more frustrating for Steve Kerr and his coaching staff was the Warriors’ affinity for turnovers. After only two first-quarter turnovers and no points off turnovers, the Warriors turned the ball over nine times, resulting in 15 points by the Pelicans….

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-warriors-lose-pelicans-fall-044542426.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-04-13 04:45:42

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