Golden State superstar Stephen Curry scored 23 points in his return from a two-game absence with a pelvic contusion, lifting the Warriors to a 111-95 victory over the Pelicans in New Orleans.
The Warriors got off to a sluggish start against the struggling Pelicans, who were without Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum.
But Curry scored 13 points in the second quarter to help the Warriors keep it close despite woeful shooting from three-point range.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he thought Curry “looked great” and his team as a whole looked better as the game went on.
“I didn’t love the passing in the first half, but we took care of the ball better in the second half,” Kerr said. “All in all positive outcome, positive effort on a night where we’re clearly trying to get our rhythm back as a group.”
The Warriors picked things up on both ends of the floor in the second half. Jimmy Butler added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State, who remained seventh in the West and battling to avoid the play-in tournament.
The Los Angeles Clippers remained in sixth — the final spot for direct entry to the playoffs — after a 132-100 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn.
The Clippers and Warriors have the same 42-31 record, the Clippers holding the head-to-head record tiebreaker.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are just half a game back in eighth after a 124-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points to lead the Clippers, connecting on five of six three-point attempts and 10 of 14 overall.
He added six rebounds, four steals and a pair of blocks and Ivica Zubac added 21 points on perfect nine-for-nine shooting as the Clippers notched their 10th win in their last 12 games.
The Denver Nuggets, fueled by 27 points and 14 rebounds from NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, cruised past the Utah Jazz 129-93.
Denver led from start to finish, Jokic and the rest of their starters sitting out the fourth quarter of the rout.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
