The Warriors' form has been up and down this season, after they played a three-game winning streak, just when people thought they had fully returned at the end of the season, the team lost in the last card game against the Timberwolves, coupled with the continued improvement of the Timberwolves' form, the Warriors were squeezed out of the top 6 in the West, and today there is another card battle, facing the Pelicans, the Warriors showed the resilience of a championship team.
The Pelicans were in very good shape before this game, winning 4 of 5 games, and jumped straight up to 7th in the West, but they were back-to-back against the Warriors, and although the team was dominated by young players, late in the game, it could be seen that the Pelicans were really tired.
Today's game caught the Warriors off guard, trailing by 11 points in the first quarter, and the Warriors' form picked up at the beginning of the second quarter, but the Pelicans directly extended the gap to 20 points at the end of the quarter with three three-pointers from Ingram and CJ, but Curry stepped up in time and hit a three-pointer, helping the Warriors narrow the contrast a little, but the Warriors trailed by 17 points at halftime.
Just when many people thought that the Warriors were going to account for this game, the Warriors began to fight back in the second half, Curry's three-point streak, plus Looney's continuous frontcourt rebounds, completely ignited the atmosphere of the Chase Center, and the Warriors' disadvantage at the end of the third quarter was only 4 points. In the final quarter, the Warriors continued to attack the Pelicans, Currypool teamed up, directly extended the advantage to double digits while overtaking the score, and in the last minute, the Pelicans, who had lost their spirit, could only choose to replace the main force and announce their surrender, and finally the Warriors defeated the Pelicans 120-119 to win this key card battle.
After winning this game, the Warriors' record this season has reached 40-37, ranking ahead of the Timberwolves and returning to the 6th position in the West, today's game Warriors really let fans experience a roller coaster feeling, the first half of the Warriors offensive and defensive ends of the helpless, was suppressed by the Pelicans, only after the halftime adjustment, they were completely reborn, on the one hand showed the Warriors' ability to adjust, on the other hand also showed the Warriors team's championship heritage and resilience.
Poole played very well today, shooting 8 of 15, with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and Poole broke out in the crucial fourth quarter, helping the Warriors complete the comeback with 13 points in a single quarter. In the first few games and the first half of today's game tried to hold the ball ineffectively, today Poole has been playing the role of Curry's side blaster in the final quarter, he no longer tries to control the ball, but through some running and teammates cover to get opportunities, today Poole only had 1 turnover, which is still very rare for him.
Chase Dream scored 8 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals today, with a game-high plus-minus of +26, which shows how much effect Chase Dream has for the Warriors at this stage. However, this game Chase Dream escaped, in the second quarter of the game he first had a verbal altercation with Ingram after a foul and ate a technical foul, and then in the offensive round, he was caused by Herbert Jones for an offensive foul, and his foot kicked Jones in the head as he fell to the ground, although the referee did not say anything after looking back, but Chase Dream broke out twice, which was completely enough to meet the line of expulsion.
Curry played a wonderful game again, in the first half of the game, it was he who dragged the Warriors to stagger forward, in the process of completing the reversal in the second half, it was also Curry's three-point and basket finish to help the Warriors rise, the whole game, Curry shot 14 of 25, got 39 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals, although the Warriors have rising stars like Poole at this stage, but the Warriors want to win and go further, or it depends on Curry's play.
In addition to Curry's full-court play and Poole's explosion in the final quarter, the Warriors have a key figure to win today, and he is Kevin. Looney, today Looney was placed on the bench by Cole, played 22 minutes and only got 3 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block data, the data looks mediocre, but 6 of the 8 rebounds have 6 frontcourt boards, of which in the key stage at the end of the third quarter, Looney fought 4 consecutive frontcourt boards in 2 minutes, it was his active struggle that created more three-point shooting opportunities for Curry and laid the foundation for the Warriors' turnaround today.
This season, Looney is still a silent role in the Warriors, in the case of Splash, Wiggins, Poole and Dreams, he is a often overlooked player in the Warriors' starting lineup, this season Looney averaged 7.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, the data is the normal data of a regular center, but his contribution to the front court board is too important for the Warriors, after grabbing today's 6 front court boards, Looney's front court rebounds this season has reached 253, ranking first in the league.
Although Looney is now a center, when he was young, in high school and college, he was a capable striker, and before the 2015 draft, his template was Durant! It was only because of a hip injury that led to him being selected by the Warriors in the last place in the first round, and he has been treating a hip injury ever since, and was transformed into a center by the Warriors.
After eight seasons, Looney has also become one of the totem players after the Warriors' Iron Triangle, and in the last two seasons, Looney has completely come out of the shadow of injury, he is one of the Warriors' highest attendance players in the last two years, he maintained full attendance last season, and he has missed only one game so far this season. Looney has been in the league for eight years, but is only 27 years old now, and he will likely continue to shine with the Warriors for many years to come.