SAN FRANCISCO – Nicolo Melli couldn’t miss. After a rough first half for him and his team in general, Jrue Holiday couldn’t be stopped.
For one half of basketball Sunday, host Golden State looked like a real threat to continue its uncanny success against New Orleans this season. Ultimately however, New Orleans’ duo of Melli and Holiday restored order and thwarted an upset bid by the 12-win Warriors. Golden State led by 10 at intermission and was tied at 77 through three quarters, but Melli’s near-perfect three-point shooting and Holiday’s attacking offense pushed New Orleans into a comfortable lead.
New Orleans sliced another half game off its deficit behind eighth-place Memphis, now 3.5 games back of the Grizzlies. That gap was 5.5 during the All-Star break.
Melli finished 6/7 from three-point range during his 20-point outing, sinking each of his first six attempts from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Holiday scored two points and had four turnovers in the opening half, but pierced Golden State’s defense for 21 second-half points. He also piled up a game-best 15 assists.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Brandon Ingram’s driving layup with 4:13 left gave New Orleans a 14-point lead, putting the Pelicans in optimal position to improve to 2-0 on its three-game road trip and win for the 11th time in their last 14 away contests. After sustaining a frustrating Dec. 20 defeat in the same building, it was New Orleans’ first victory at the new Chase Center. The Pelicans head to Los Angeles tonight and will visit the Lakers on Tuesday in a compelling TNT game.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Zion Williamson was absolutely vital in the first half, one of the only Pelicans who had a productive opening 24 minutes. The Pelicans were relentless in feeding him the ball or seeking him above the rim for alley oops, resulting in a 28-point outing. Williamson was 13/20 from the field and gave the Warriors fits on post-ups or soaring slams.
“I thought he was good,” Golden State’s Steve Kerr said of his first impression of the No. 1 draft pick. “He’s explosive, strong and he knows how to play too. He makes really good passes out there, recognizes double teams and scores so easily around the rim because of his power. He’s a really great, young player without much experience at all. He’s only going to get better.”
BY THE NUMBERS
0.5: New Orleans lead on San Antonio in the Western Conference standings, after the Pelicans prevailed in San Francisco and the Spurs were pounded at Oklahoma City.
34: New Orleans assists, the fifth time in the last six games the Pelicans have mustered 30 or more dimes. “Execution-wise, we are doing way better right now,” Melli said of the team’s crisp recent performances. “Right now it’s just a matter of how high our commitment is, how hard we play.”
69-45: Pelicans edge in second-half scoring. The Warriors won the second quarter 23-17 but the visitors shot 59 percent from the field after intermission.
#WEEKLYREVIEW
The All-Star break created an abbreviated Week 17 and Week 18 for New Orleans, so the normally weekly honor was combined over a four-game span. Regardless of how the schedule was laid out, Zion Williamson was a lock to receive the most votes, entering Sunday’s game averaging 29.3 points in recent matchups with Portland (twice) and Oklahoma City. The No. 1 overall draft pick garnered about 80 percent of the votes, besting a field of nominees Josh Hart, Jrue Holiday and JJ Redick, all of whom have performed very well in the month of February.
Previous winners
Week 1-3: Brandon Ingram
Week 4: Jrue Holiday
Week 5-9: Brandon Ingram
Week 10: Derrick Favors
Week 11-12: Lonzo Ball
Week 13: Brandon Ingram
Week 14-15: Zion Williamson
Week 16: JJ Redick
