Pelicans Hot Shooting From Deep Downs Warriors In Huge Road Victory

The Pelicans notch a huge road victory with a 114-109 triumph against the Golden State Warriors. The win gives New Orleans 28 road victories on the season, the most in the NBA. More importantly, the Pelicans are in the driver's seat to secure the No. 6 seed in the West when the playoffs begin next week. Brandon Ingram again missed as he recovers from a hyperextended knee.

New Orleans started the game like a team tired and playing on the second night of a back-to-back. The Pelicans shot just 26% in the opening quarter, including 1/10 from beyond the arc. Zion Williamson started just 2/8 and CJ McCollum 1/7 to open the game. Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with six points, helping the Warriors to a 26-17 lead after one.

The Pelicans completely turned the game around in the second quarter with defense and hot shooting from beyond the arc. New Orleans forced nine Warriors' turnovers and made 10/13 three-point shots to fuel a 23-5 run that gave them a double-digit lead. The Pelicans outscored Golden State 45-22 in the period, leading to a 62-48 advantage at the half.

Golden State would not go quietly into the night, needing a win to position themselves for the best Play-In Tournament spot in the West. The Warriors came out of the locker room with a 12-2 run to get within five points of the Pels' 14-point lead. New Orleans immediately responded with an 11-0, fueled by more hot shooting from deep. The Pelicans were a +27 from beyond the arc through three quarters, continuing their onslaught from deep. Despite Golden State winning the quarter, New Orleans took an 88-75 lead into the fourth.

The Warriors continued to show true heart even with their leader Steph Curry on the bench to start the quarter. Golden State went on a 12-1 run without Curry, with key baskets by Klay Thompson with Curry on the bench. The Warriors got within three points, but the road-resilient Pelicans continued to show their toughness. After a few big shots by Steph to get the lead down to three points, CJ McCollum hit a huge three-point shot to push the lead to six with a minute left. The Pelicans held on for a massive 114-109 victory, maintaining their No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

Steph Curry led all scorers with 33 points, including 16 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough. Despite getting only 13 bench points on the night, CJ McCollum scored 28 points, while Zion Williamson chipped in 26 points and six steals in the victory. The Pelicans finished the game 20/38 from deep and committed just nine turnovers. New Orleans has one regular-season game remaining on Sunday, with a lot on the line for both teams, A win on Sunday gives the Pelicans a 50-win season for only the second time in franchise history.