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Warriors rout Pelicans 138-87, finish homestand sweep and stretch win streak to eight
Golden State beat New Orleans by 51 for its eighth straight win and a 6-0 homestand, and now goes to Houston at 8-3.
The Golden State Warriors didn't just finish their homestand Monday night. They beat the New Orleans Pelicans 138-87 at Chase Center, winning by 51 points. The win completed a 6-0 run through San Francisco, made it eight wins in a row and moved Golden State to 8-3. That is quite a turnaround for a team that lost its first three games.
On Monday afternoon, SB Nation's Golden State Of Mind framed the game as a chance to sweep the six-game stand. The preview also named the area the Warriors most needed to fix: rebounding. Two nights earlier, Orlando had grabbed 24 offensive rebounds to Golden State's three, even though the Warriors won that game 126-119 in overtime. Stephen Curry carried them in that one, scoring 41 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including 17 in the last seven minutes of regulation and overtime. Going into Monday, New Orleans averaged 43.5 rebounds per game, just behind Golden State's 43.7, so the glass was the obvious matchup to watch.
New Orleans was also short-handed. SB Nation reported that the Pelicans would play without Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy, and the 4-6 team that arrived in San Francisco offered little resistance. The projected Warriors lineup had Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos and Draymond Green. That group points to how much Golden State is leaning on younger players and wings alongside its two veterans.
The homestand was strong almost from start to finish. Before Monday, the Warriors beat the Lakers by 17, the Clippers by 12, Phoenix by three, Miami by 20 and Orlando by seven. Add the 51-point win over New Orleans and Golden State outscored its opponents by 110 points over six games, about 18 per night. Close games against the Suns and Magic showed the team can finish tight games, and the blowouts showed what happens when the opponent is overmatched.
What it means for Wednesday at Houston
Next is a road game against the Rockets on Wednesday, November 11, on national television on ESPN. The road is where this streak started. After an opening stretch that included a 22-point loss at the Lakers, a three-point home loss to Memphis and a 131-122 defeat at Phoenix, the Warriors won 134-114 at Denver and 119-114 at Minnesota before coming home. Over all eight wins, they have outscored opponents by 135 points, roughly 17 per game. They have also scored at least 120 points in four of their last five games.
The road record makes that early slump easier to understand. Golden State is 2-2 away from Chase Center, and all three of its losses came before the streak began. Houston will be a tougher test than a Pelicans team missing two of its best players. The rebounding issue Orlando exposed will matter again against a physical opponent. If the Warriors control the boards in Houston the way they controlled the scoreboard Monday, the streak has a good chance to keep going. If they don't, Wednesday's game will show whether eight straight wins reflect real improvement or a friendly stretch of the schedule.