Pelicans vs. Warriors: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2015 Regular Season
The Golden State Warriors raised their championship banner to the rafters of Oracle Arena Tuesday night, and Stephen Curry nearly blew the roof off the building as the defending champions thrashed the New Orleans Pelicans, 111-95, in their season opener.
Curry didn't skip a beat in his debut, compiling 40 points, seven assists and six rebounds while shooting 14-of-26 from the field, including 5-of-12 from three. The league's reigning MVP poured in 24 first-quarter points, but he was going to work against a short-handed Pelicans squad missing Jrue Holiday (rest), Tyreke Evans (knee), Omer Asik (calf) and Norris Cole (ankle).
NBA.com provided a look at Curry's outrageous opening statement, which was the most emphatic by any player in a season opener in the past two decades, per ESPN:
"He really shoots like a video game," TNT commentator Chris Webber said, per Turner Sports PR on Twitter.
Webber wasn't kidding, as you can see here:
Beyond Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut put forth solid showings in the win.
Green purveyed a typical workmanlike effort on both ends of the court, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal as the Warriors posted a team-best plus-20 scoring margin with him on the floor. Green's defense against Anthony Davis was particularly commendable, as Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group noted in the third quarter:
Bogut manned the middle to the tune of 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks on a night when the Warriors out-rebounded the Pelicans, 56-33.
Tuesday was billed as a meeting between Curry and prospective MVP candidate Anthony Davis, but The Brow couldn't thrive with such a depleted supporting cast and Green impeding him at every stop.
Davis managed 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks, but none of it came easy.
The two-time All-Star couldn't get set up for any easy buckets, and as ESPN.com's Ethan Sherwood Strauss observed, a shortage of qualified ball-handlers ultimately hindered Davis' effectiveness as he shot 4-of-20 from the floor:
While Nate Robinson started for the Pelicans, the newly-acquired Ish Smith kept the Pelicans competitive for spurts off the bench. In 38 minutes, Smith scored 17 points (7-of-13 shooting) while racking up a game-high nine assists. His 11 first-half points helped pace a Pelicans offense that had trouble creating shots off the dribble.
CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie offered a positive outlook on Smith's pro prospects:
The Pelicans provided a stiff test in the second quarter when they briefly took the lead against Golden State's jittery second unit, but the Warriors' starters returned to provide a sense of calm.
Truth be told, Curry's dominance masked some of Golden State's struggles. Although the Warriors came away with the win in style thanks to the game's most prolific scorer, they were hardly perfect.
Klay Thompson was limited to nine points and committed a team-high seven turnovers, and Harrison Barnes—who's playing for a new contract—kicked off his season with a 3-of-12 shooting performance to produce just eight points.
Brighter days lie ahead for both sides, though.
The Warriors rode Curry's stupendous start to a comfortable win, so the supporting cast didn't need to supplement his offerings with anything spectacular. As for the Pelicans, Davis is far too talented to let one poor outing deter him from wreaking havoc in the weeks and months ahead.
It'll be a while until New Orleans is at full strength with Evans, Holiday and Asik all flanking the franchise centerpiece, but when the Pelicans can finally load up and hit the West's best with haymakers, they'll be a force with which to be reckoned.
Post-Game Reaction
Thompson relayed some hilarious words from head coach Steve Kerr to interim head coach Luke Walton, per Marcus Thompson:
According to Turner Sports PR, TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith felt New Orleans left plenty to be desired on both ends of the floor:
Another member of the Inside the NBA crew predicted big things for the Warriors:
Finally, Klay Thompson showed off some sweet new threads after the Warriors received their rings, per NBA on TNT:
