Warriors vs Pelicans – Pregame Preview (5/14/21)

The Warriors host the New Orleans Pelicans tonight at Chase Center. It’s the penultimate game of the regular season, and in terms of playoff implications, it’s completely meaningless. But we’ll keep things interesting as there are a few unconventional aspects to keep an eye on tonight.

DUB QUIZ

Here’s some Dubs trivia they played on the scoreboard prior to tip-off. The lucky fan tasked with answering them didn’t get either right, see if you can do any better! Answers are at the bottom of the article.

#1 – During the 2015-2016 season, Stephen Curry led the NBA in which stat?

a) Assists

b) 3 point percentage

c) Steals

d) FG Percentage

In 2013, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry set a then NBA record with how many combined 3-pointers made in a season?

a) 234

b) 483

c) 532

d) 160

STARTING LINEUP

“Steph (Stephen Curry), Draymond (Green), and Andrew (Wiggins) will not play tonight. We’ll start Jordan(Poole), Mychal Mulder, Kent Bazemore, Juan (Toscano-Anderson), and (Kevon) Looney.”

via Head Coach Steve Kerr

KELLY OUBRE JR.

Head Coach Steve Kerr will have an update tomorrow (Saturday) on the status of Kelly Oubre Jr’s left wrist. Interestingly, Oubre Jr. was actually born in New Orleans and lived there until he was in the fourth grade (2005) before his family moved to Richmond, Texas.

The guard/forward last played on April 27th vs. Dallas and underwent an MRI on his left wrist on May 5th. The MRI reconfirmed previous imaging results of a small avulsion fracture and ligament tear of the wrist with no new injury observed. The injury did not require surgery.

STREAKING & WIN TOTALS

Even without the stars, the Warriors will try to keep their momentum and be the hottest team in the league when the regular season comes to an end. The Warriors are among the Hawks, Heat, and Bucks in having 6-1 records in the month of May. Golden State has won four straight (tied with Memphis and Miami for the longest active streak), but can they keep it up tonight against the Pelicans?

The Warriors have 37 wins on the season so far (two games remaining). According to ClutchPointBets, the Warriors preseason win total was projected at 37.5, so bettors who picked the OVER have a chance to win their bets tonight.

ERIC PASCHALL PLAYING TIME

Eric Paschall Playing Time Note:

Expect to see Eric Paschall play 20 to 24 minutes off the bench tonight. He’ll be in the game pretty quickly and will play in four or five minute bursts

Kerr said shorter bursts “make the most sense since he hasn’t played in six weeks or so.”

— KXSF Sports (@KXSFsports) May 15, 2021

PELICANS NOTABLE

Naji Marshall is “good to go” tonight, but both Brandon Ingram and Steven Adams are out. Pelicans Head Coach Stan Van Gundy said he expects both players to also be inactive on Sunday’s season finale against the Lakers.

DUB ANSWERS

#1 – C, Steals

#2 – B, 483

Follow along on Twitter @KXSFsports for live game updates!