Golden State Warriors 138, New Orleans Pelicans 87: a 72-point first half

The Golden State Warriors settled this one before halftime. They scored 35 in the first quarter and 37 in the second, went to the break up 72-43, and never let the New Orleans Pelicans back into it. The final was 138-87 at Chase Center on Monday night, and the 51-point margin was also Golden State's largest lead of the night.

It was the eighth straight win for a team that opened the season 0-3. Golden State is now 8-3. New Orleans falls to 4-7.

How it was won

The Pelicans led once, by a single point, early. After that the first quarter went 35-20 and the second 37-23. Golden State did not ease off after halftime either: a 40-22 third quarter pushed the lead to 112-65 going into the fourth. The last 12 minutes, which New Orleans lost only 26-22, were a formality.

Three players did most of the scoring. Stephen Curry had 25 points on 4-of-7 from three. Brandin Podziemski also had 25, hitting 5 of 11 threes. Yaxel Lendeborg added 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and did not miss from deep, going 4-for-4. Between them: 73 points and 13 of 22 from three.

The team numbers were just as lopsided:

• Shooting: Golden State 50-of-91 (55 percent), New Orleans 29-of-80 (36 percent).
• Three-pointers: 21-of-44 against 8-of-28.
• Rebounds: 50 to 31.
• Assists: 37 to 21.
• Points in the paint: 52 to 38.

The Warriors won inside and outside, and the 19-rebound edge meant New Orleans rarely got a second look. The Pelicans' one clear advantage was at the line, where they went 21-of-24 against Golden State's 17-of-19. That did not come close to offsetting a 13-three gap.

For New Orleans, Derik Queen led with 16 points and 4 rebounds but no assists. Dejounte Murray scored 12 and made 2 of 3 threes. Jeremiah Fears had 11 points and 8 assists, though he went 1-for-5 from deep. The Pelicans committed 13 turnovers to Golden State's 11, so ball security was not the problem. Shot-making was.

Against the number

Golden State closed as a 10.5-point favorite and covered by 40.5. The moneyline had the Warriors at -542 and the Pelicans at +409. By halftime that price looked generous to New Orleans.

The total is the more interesting result. It closed at 228.5, and the two teams combined for 225, so the under came in. Golden State's 138 would usually push a game well over a number like that. Here New Orleans scored 87 on 36 percent shooting, and the Warriors' 26-point fourth quarter, with the result long settled, kept the combined score 3.5 points short. Anyone holding the over needed a fourth quarter that never came.

Full prices and line history are on the game page.

What's next

Golden State goes on the road Wednesday, November 11, at the Houston Rockets, on ESPN. The streak began with a 134-114 win at Denver. Since then the Warriors are 4-0 on their own floor in this run, with wins over the Lakers, Clippers, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando and now New Orleans. Houston will be a sterner road test than anything the last week offered.

New Orleans' next game was not part of the schedule information available for this recap. At 4-7, the Pelicans need better than 36 percent shooting wherever they play next.