On Wednesday night in San Francisco, Herbert Jones led an early onslaught of 3-pointers, Jonas Valanciunas scored 21 points in 21 minutes, and the New Orleans Pelicans dominated the Golden State Warriors 141-105.
Three days after dominating the host Sacramento Kings 133-100 and leading by as many as 50 points, the Pelicans used nine 3-pointers, three of which were made by Jones, in a first quarter that saw them up to 46 points. The Warriors were never able to catch up.
With 19 points, Zion Williamson was one of eight Pelicans in double digits, including all five starters. New Orleans surpassed 140 points for the third time this season, having done so since December 13.
The Warriors ended a seven-game homestand with a fifth-game loss, despite hearing it from the home crowd thanks to 21 points from Moses Moody off the bench.
In the opening 56 seconds of the game, Jones made his first 3-pointer, giving the Pelicans an advantage they would never let up. They scored 15 points in their first 15 possessions from beyond the arc, with four of the five 3-pointers made by Jones and Valanciunas combined to give them a 15–4 lead.
Early in the third quarter, the Warriors were within 74-64, but any chance of a stunning comeback was dashed when Brandon Ingram made his fourth 3-pointer of the game, sparking another New Orleans run-away.
The Pelicans shot 47.5 percent on 3-pointers and 57.4 percent overall. Trey Murphy III finished with 16 points, while CJ McCollum and Jordan Hawkins contributed 14 points each, Ingram 13 points, and Naji Marshall and Jones 12 points.
Of New Orleans’ 19 treys, four were scored by Jones, Murphy, and Hawkins.
Valanciunas managed to grab nine rebounds as well. McCollum and Williamson combined for eight and seven assists, accounting for fifteen of the team’s total of 37.
Three days after seeing the Toronto Raptors score 133 points against them, the Warriors conceded a season-high number of points, with rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis scoring 19 points and youngster Brandin Podziemski grabbing nine rebounds.
Golden State was outscored 57-36 from beyond the arc, with Stephen Curry scoring 15 points and dishing out six assists, Klay Thompson scoring 13 points, and Jonathan Kuminga scoring 12.
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