Pelicans 114 - 109 Warriors summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA

With the game on the line, it was CJ McCollum doing what Steph Curry usually does to Steph Curry as he put his team up by six with a near impossible shot. He ended the night with 27 points on 8/13 shooting from downtown. 

The Pelicans are now knocking on the door of an automatic playoff bid, but will need to beat the Lakers or hope for a Phoenix Suns loss on Sunday night. The Warriors now look destined for either the 9 or 10 spot, and Steve Kerrr suggested resting some of his players on Sunday to ensure they are ready for the Play-In Tournament next week. 

The Warriors were down 13 to start the final quarter, but came battling back to close it to a one possession game. Trey Murphy made sure the Pelicans kept their distance on Golden State. 

Zion prefers to take defenders off the dribble and finish around the paint, but when the threes are falling you have to take your chances. He has one of the Pelicans 20 threes on the night and scored 26 points to add on top of his six steals. 

The Warriors turnovers killed Golden State all night, and Zion and company were ready and willing to take advantage on the other end of the floor. The Warriors turned it over 16 times and Curry had 7 of those. 

In the final stretch of the season it has been Trey Murphy and CJ McCollum carrying this team. Zion gets a lot of the credit, which he deserves, but these two guys have been the ones carrying the Pelicans over their four game win streak. 

McCollum drilled five threes in the second quarter to spur a 45 point quarter as the Pelicans not only took the lead, they stretched the lead to double digits. 

Murphy hit a handful of three balls from the logo in the second quarter as the Pelicans took control of the game late in the first half. They hit 10/13 threes and that was a preview of what was to come the rest of the night. 

Herb Jones could and should be on the All Defensive Team this year. He was tasked with keeping Curry quiet which he did for the first three quarters while scoring 13 points and 5 rebounds. 

CJ McCollum hit nine threes in the Pelicans previous game against the Kings, and what did he do for an encore? He hit five threes in the second quarter to ignite New Orleans before the halftime break. 

The New Orleans Pelicans went into Chase Center and came out with a crucial win over Golden State to inch themselves closer to an automatic playoff bid with one game to go. CJ McCollum led the way scoring 28 points and hitting eight threes in the 114-109 win. 

The Pelicans came out a little flat to start the game. Both New Orleans and Golden State were coming off the front end of a back-to-back and it was the Warriors who came out of the gate hot. They jumped out to a double digit lead early on after holding the Pelicans to just 17 points in the first half, but Trey Murphy and company would find their flow on the offensive end after the first 12 minutes. 

IT'S ALL OVER!!!

The Pelicans come into San Fran and beat the Warriors with another extraordinary night from downtown!

Murphy to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Wiggins. 

Zion missed a mid range jumper and Curry forced up a three but missed it with hands all around him. 

Timeout Pelicans with 40 seconds to go!

Curry with a hand in his face and he drills it from the wing!

McCollum with the pump fake on Curry and he drills the three ball from the wing!

Timeout Warriors with 1:02 to go. 

Wiggins to the line after the foul on Zion and he hits both FTs with 1:24 to go. 

Curry splits a double team at the top of the key and takes it for a lay up off the glass. 

2:15 to go in the 4th quarter!

Curry on the step back from the wing and he hit it over Daniels!

Curry down the lane and he hits the floater. 

Jones comes out of the timeout and drills the three ball in the corner! That's 19 triples for NO!

Murphy pulls up from downtown and he hits with the shot clock winding down!

Timeout with 3:21 to go in the 4th. 

Curry hits a big three at a big moment and the Warriors are going to need a little more of that. 

Zion blows by Wiggins and takes it to the rack for the lay up. 

Curry turned it over and Murphy takes it to iron for the transition lay up. 

Wiggins slashes to the bucket and Curry hit him for the jam. 

Jones gets the floater to go in traffic out of the timeout. 

Timeout Warriors with 6:33 to go in the fourth!

Zion take Green off the dribble and the runner goes across the lane. 

Curry drops the three ball off the step back from the wing!

Zion breaks up the Warriors run with a dive to the cup for a lay up and gets the foul! FT is good. 

Thompson drills a three ball from the wing after the kickout from Paul!

Paul drills a three ball from the top of the key out of the timeout!

Paul finds Moody wide open down low and he lays it up and in!

Timeout Pelicans with 9:30 to go in the 4th quarter. 

Moody with a tip in following his own miss. 

Zion to the line after the foul on Jackson-Davis and he hits one of two FTs. 

Thompson to the line after the foul on Daniels and he hits both FTs. 

Murphy with the catch and shoot three ball from the wing!

Thompson to the line after the foul on McCollum and he hits both FTs. 

McCollum hits the shot from inside the paint and the Pelicans are heading into the final quarter up 13!

Moody with five quick points and the lead is 11 for the Pelicans with under 30 to go. 

Moody with the fade away from the elbow. 

Alvarado to the line after the foul on Paul and he hits one of two FTs. 

McCollum with another three ball! He's got 7 threes tonight!

Thompson off the dribble and he hits the runner from outside the lane. 

Paul weaving through the lane and he lays it up and in off the glass. 

Timeout Pelicans with 3:13 to go in the third quarter. 

Zion from the wing and he drills the three ball off the dribble. 

Murphy with another deep ball and he sticks it from the top of the key! 

8-0 Pelicans run and the Warriors need a timeout with 5:25 to go in the 3rd quarter. 

JOnes in the corner and the lead is back to 10!

Jackson-Davis to the line after the foul on Alvarado but he misses both FTs. 

Zion makes a rim run and he hits the lay up over Green. 

Thompson steps into a three on the break and he drills the long ball from the wing! 10-2 run for the Warriors. 

Timeout Pelicans with 7:23 to go in the 3rd quarter!

Wiggins to the line after the foul on Valanciunas, and he hits one of two at the line. 

Wiggins skips around Zion and lays it up and in off the glass from the right side. 

Zion got his floater blocked by Jackson-Davis but it was on the way down. 

Curry finds Wiggins on the inbounds for the quick lay up. 

Curry fouled by Jones and he hits both FTs. 

Wiggins slashes to the bucket and he finishes at the cup on the lay up. 

Zion puts his head down and gets to the cup for the lay up. 

Jackson-Davis back to the rack off the dish from Curry. 

McCollum drills another three ball! That's six for him on the night after hitting 9 last night. 

Zion goes to the bucket and gets the leaner in the lane to go. 

Jackson-Davis to the rim and he throws down an alley oop from Green. 

Thompson hits a mid range jumper from the top of the key to get the second half started. 

WE ARE BACK IN SAN FRAN FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!

McCollum hit five threes in the second quarter and has 17 points at the half after hitting 9 threes and scoring 31 last night. 

It wasn't just CJ, Murphy was showing all kinds of range from DT in the second quarter, hitting not just one but two logo three balls. He's got 11 at half. 

McCollum had 9 threes in Sacramento last night, and while he might have taken a little while to get going he got hot in a hurry. 

After a dreadful first quarter that saw the Pelicans go down 16 points, CJ McCollum and company started warming up in the second quarter. 

Jackson-Davis got a rare start tonight and came out swinging. He had a couple big plays early on, and goes into the break with 6 points. 

The Warrior came out and set the tone on the defensive end to start the game holding the Pelicans to 17 first quarter points, but that wouldn't last long. Wiggins go going early on and finished the half with 7 points. 

WE ARE HEADING TO HALFTIME AND THE PELICANS LEAD BY 14 AFTER A 45 POINT QUARTER!

Green with a football pass to Curry and he lays it up and in with less than two seconds on the clock!

Zion goes into the body of Draymond, get the bucket and the foul! FT is good. 

Curry with a three ball to end the Pelicans run with under 20 to go in the half!

McCollum steps back and drills the three with the shot clock winding down and he hits his fifth three of the quarter! That's 10/13 from DT for the Pelicans in the quarter!

Murphy pull up from way downtown again, and he hit it from around the half court logo!

Wiggins to the line after the foul on Alvarado and he hits one of two FTs. 

McCollum with another three ball! His fourth of the quarter!

Curry slices to the rim and Green found him for the lay up. 

Murphy drills a three ball and the Pelicans are scorching from downtown right now!

Podziemski goes to the cup and lays it up and in to stop some of the bleeding. 

Alvarado joins the three point party from the corner and the Pelicans lead by 9!

McCollum takes advantage of a bad pass from Thompson and he drills the three ball!

Murphy steps into a three ball from the Chase Center logo and drills it from wayyyy downtown!

Curry out of the timeout and he pump fakes at the top of the key and sinks the pull up three. 

McCollum with a couple quick threes to give the Pelicans the lead and the Warriors will take a timeout with 6:18 to go in the first half. 

Zion with the steal and he finds Jones on the other end for the wide open dunk and we are all tied up. 

McCollum with a quick trigger three ball and he finally finds the bottom of the net after dropping 9 threes last night. 

Jones to the line after the foul on Curry and he hits one of two FTs. 

Extra pass from Danies to Jones and he hits the deep two with a foot on the line!

Timeout Warriors with 7:41 to go in the 1st half. 

Paul found Looney down low and he put it up and got it swatted by Valanciunas but the block came after the ball his the backboard. 

Daniels goes hard to the iron, gets the bucket and the foul on Moody. FT is good. 

Paul down the right side of the lane and he hangs it high off the glass. 

Daniels answers back from the corner for three!

Thompson drlls a three ball for the top of the key off the dish from Podziemski!

Tough jump hook from Valanciunas in the paint over Looney. 

Valanciunas from the mid range and he drill the jumper from the FT line. 

Paul drills the baseline jumper to start the second quarter. 

We are at the end of the first quarter and the Pelicans only put up 17 point in the first 12 minutes. 

Jackson-Davis and Wiggins lead the Warriors with 6 points while Valanciunas has 6 for NO. 

McCollum down the lane and gets the floater to fall to end the first quarter. 

Looney cleans up the miss by Paul and he puts it back up and in. 

Podziemski drills the three ball from way downtown and the lead is back to 9!

Williamson into the lane and he hits the runner in traffic. 

Robinson-Earl off the bench and he drills the three ball in the corner!

Timeout Warriors with 3:10 to go in the 1st quarter. 

Looney to the line after the foul on Jones and he hits both FTs. 

Zion scoops up a loose ball and takes it in for a jam for his first bucket of the night. 

Curry from the mid range and he hits the elbow jumper off the dribble. 

Valanciunas over the top of Draymond and he gets the lay in to go AND 1! FT is no good. 

Curry off the dribble and he sinks the three ball from the wing to get his name on the board. 

Jackson-Davis skies over Zion after the slip screen and pass from Curry. 

Jackson-Davis back on the break, but he misses the lay up. Thompson was there for the put back and the Pelicans take a timeout with 7:13 to go in the 1st quarter. 

Draymond running the floor and Steph fed him in stride and Dray tosses it off the glass for an ally oop for Jackson-Davis!

Valanciunas fouled by Jackson-Davis and he hits both FTs at the line. 

Wiggins to the line again after the foul on McCollum and he hits both FTs. 

Wiggins to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Jones. 

Murphy has been red hot over the last few games, and he gets his account started with a lay up at the rim. 

Jackson-Davis squeezes the lay up in from the baseline over Valanciunas. 

Wiggins slashing to the lane and Jackson-Davis found him in stride for the lay up. 

Valanciunas gets us going after getting an offensive board and the put back. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM THE BAY!!!

The Pelicans are going with the same starting five they had last night in Sacramento. McCollum, Jones, Murphy, Zion and Valanciunas got off to a scorching start last night. Can they do the same tonight against a red hot Warriors team?

Klay Thompson is back in the starting line up after he and Draymond sat out last game. He has been a staple coming off the bench, but Steve Kerr has been using him more and more as a starter as the games grow more important. He is joined by Dray, Steph, Wiggins and the rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis. 

What’s left

After tonight we have just one more game to go before we head into the Play-In Tournament and eventually the playoffs. There is still no indication of how things are going to play out and most likely won’t be settled until the regular season wraps up on Sunday afternoon. Before we look ahead to the postseason, we have to take a look at what’s coming up on Sunday for the teams fighting for positioning in spots 6-10:

Pelicans: vs. Lakers 

Suns: @ Timberwolves 

Kings: vs. Trail Blazers

Warriors: vs. Jazz 

Lakers: @ Pelicans 

How the West is shaping up

Taking a look at the standings in the in the West we see the Pelicans in sixth place, hanging on to their sixth seed by a thread. They have the Suns chasing them in seventh just a game behind them. Considering the Suns hold the tie breaker over the Pelicans, they are going to have to win their final two games, or hope that the Suns don’t wind up with the same record as them come Sunday evening. The Warriors have leap frogged the Lakers after their stretch of 9 wins in their last 10 games. The Warriors, Lakers and Kings all have the same record at 45-35, but the Kings sit in 8th with the tie breaker on their side. The Kings and Suns play tonight, which means one of those two teams will fall opening up a chance for the Warriors to keep climbing should they win tonight. 

Road to Zion

Zion Williamson has been the star of the show for the Pelicans this year. Finally. We have been waiting for the freak of nature out of Duke to show his true potential over the last few years, but he has been hampered by injury more often than not in his young career. He has stayed healthy this season, and that has given us a glimpse of just how good he and the Pelicans can be. New Orleans fans got quite the scare last night when Zion went to the locker room in the final minutes of the first half after falling awkwardly on his wrist. He came back for the third quarter, and dropped 17 points putting Pels fans mind at ease. As long as Zion stays healthy, this is going to be a team that others want to avoid in the playoffs. 

Chef Curry back in the kitchen

Steph Curry had to do it basically on his own last night in Portland. Sure he had the help of Jonathan Kuminga who is enjoying the best season of his young career, but with no Dray or Klay last night in Portland, we knew it was going to be a one man show against the Trail Blazers. Portland made sure to blanket him with plenty of pressure, but he turned those double teams into 8 assists, while dropping 22 points and hitting some big shots late in the game to seal the win. He is averaging 26 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5 assists this season, but the Warriors know they can’t just rely on their sharp shooter to get them through games like tonight’s. Everyone is going to have to chip in against the Pelicans in this must win match up before the final day of the season. 

Warriors last game

The Warriors went into Portland to take on a Trail Blazers team looking to play spoiler late in the season. Golden State were without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, but were still able to fight off Portland in a tight game that was full of lead changes throughout the 48 minutes. Steph Curry led his side with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists while Jonathan Kuminga added another 19 points, but the game was even going into the final 12 minutes. The defense made the difference in the fourth quarter as the Warriors held the Blazers to just one point in a six minute stretch of a final 12 minutes in which they scored just 18 points. The win puts them above the Lakers for the first time in a long time, and tonight they have a chance to climb even higher should they get a win, and some help from around the league. 

Pelicans last game

New Orleans went into Sacramento and took on a sliding Kings team that was desperate for a win if they were to keep their automatic playoff dreams alive, but the Pelicans controlled the game from start to finish in a wire to wire win. An 18-0 run helped Zion and company jump out to a 23 point lead in the first quarter, and they were able to keep the Kings at an arms distance the entire way. CJ McCollum hit 9 of 12 threes and dropped 31 points to match Zions 31 while Trey Murphy III had 27, but the Kings put up a fight and closed the gap to two points in the third quarter. McCollum and Williamson helped stretch the lead back to 20 in the fourth quarter and the Pelicans held on for their third straight win. 

We are live from the Bay

Hello everyone and welcome to San Francisco where the Warriors are back home after a quick west coast road trip in which they kept their fantastic run of form going in LA and then Portland last night. Golden State is the hottest team in the league, playing their best basketball at the right time. They have won 9 of their last 10 games and for the first time in a long time, they aren’t at the bottom of the Play-In picture. The Pelicans rattled off their third win in a row last night in Sacramento, and are now on the verge of getting an automatic playoff birth, but they know nothing short of a win will suffice tonight. Both teams are on the second end of a back-to-back before taking a day off and finishing the season on Sunday. Tonight’s game will have a huge impact on the final seedings heading into the playoffs.

Pelicans vs. Warriors 

The end of the regular season is so close we can almost touch it. Before we get to the postseason there is a lot to be settled in the next couple days as teams fight for final playoff positioning. The New Orleans Pelicans are inching closer and closer to an automatic playoff bid tonight in the Bay, but the Warriors are on a mission to keep climbing the Western Conference standings before the end of the season on Sunday afternoon. AS English will be with you all night, providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s crucial matchup from Chase Center.