CJ McCollum (#3) of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots in the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, April 12, 2024. /CFP
The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-109 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Friday, ranking in the sixth place in the Western Conference with one more game to go of the regular season.
Both teams played back-to-back, and the Pelicans seemed to be going through a cooldown in their shooting touch in the first quarter after scoring 135 points at 57 percent from the field against the Sacramento Kings one day earlier. They missed 12 of their 14 jumpers, including seven of their eight attempts from downtown, to get only 17 points in this period. By contrast, the Warriors didn't shoot well either in this quarter, but they managed to get more easy buckets via early offense to lead by nine points.
Trey Murphy III (#25) of the New Orleans Pelicans dunks in the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, April 12, 2024. /CFP
However, the Pelicans caught the Warriors by surprise on both ends of the game from the beginning of the second period. Offensively, they knocked down 10 triples out of 13 attempts; defensively, the team had six steals and forced eight turnovers by the opponents. The heavy 3-pointer rain and the constant transition offense enabled the Pelicans to outscore the Warriors 45-22 in this quarter.
CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III made the turning point happen for the Pelicans with their remarkable performances. McCollum shot 5-for-7 in field goals (FGs), all behind the arc, in the second period to get 15 points and four assists; Murphy III drained all six of his triples after the first quarter; Williamson contributed four steals in the second period and got 19 points in the second half.
Zion Williamson (C) of the New Orleans Pelicans dunks in the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, April 12, 2024. /CFP
Having sat on a 14-point lead (62-48) after the first half, the Pelicans faced several waves of rallies by the Warriors in the rest of the game but always managed to shut the opponents down by making big 3-pointers by McCollum, Murphy III or Herbert Jones when their lead was cut to a chasable number. After Andrew Wiggins made two free throws for the Warriors to trail by only three points (109-106) with 1:24 to go in the fourth quarter, McCollum knocked down a significant triple in front of Stephen Curry from the left wing to extend the Pelicans' lead to six points again.
Williamson went 11-for-26 in FGs on Friday, which didn't qualify for high efficiency, but he only struggled to make shots in front of Draymond Green. When other Warriors switched to guard him, Williamson could easily earn something on the offensive end, in either buckets or free throws, sometimes even both. Moreover, after Green was called the fourth personal foul early in the fourth quarter, Williamson kept attacking him off the dribble, forcing the Warriors to invest extra defensive hands in him so his teammates could shoot in open.
Donovan Mitchell (#45) of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, April 12, 2024. /CFP
Other games on Friday (away teams come first):
Indiana Pacers 120-129 Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers will begin this season's NBA playoffs with a home court advantage in at least the first round in the Eastern Conference after beating the Pacers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Donovan Mitchell dropped a game-high 33 points in addition to four rebounds, five assists and four steals for the home team. His teammate Jarrett Allen got a double-double of 29 points and 13 rebounds after making 13 of his 14 FG attempts.
The Pacers remain in sixth place in the East after Friday's loss with a 46-35 record, the same as that of the Orlando Magic above and the Philadelphia 76ers below. Depending on the results of their final regular-season games on Sunday, at least one of them will have to begin their postseason journey in the play-in tournament.
Bradley Beal (#3) of the Phoenix Suns drives toward the rim in the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, April 12, 2024. /CFP
Phoenix Suns 108-107 Sacramento Kings
The Suns trailed most of the time in Friday's game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, and by as many as 16 points (70-54) in the third period. Nonetheless, after Jusuf Nurkic made his fourth free throw attempt in the fourth quarter, the Suns led 108-107 with 8.7 seconds to go.
The Kings still had one final chance to reverse the situation after that play. They called a timeout to launch an attack in the front court. De'Aaron Fox received the ball and faced Bradley Beal, who fouled him to cut the Kings' time to 6.3 seconds. The team chose to pass to Fox again for the final shot, but Beal poked the ball out of his hands to wrap up the contest as a win for the Suns. Before the two key defensive plays, Beal had already scored 12 points in the fourth period alone.
Friday's loss meant that the Kings could go no higher than No. 8 in the West, but finishing in that place will at least enable them to afford one loss in the play-in tournament. The Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Warriors will fight for that benefit in their final regular-season games on Sunday.
Orlando Magic 113-125 Philadelphia 76ers
Chicago Bulls 129-127 Washington Wizards
Charlotte Hornets 98-131 Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets 107-111 New York Knicks
Toronto Raptors 103-125 Miami Heat
Los Angeles Lakers 123-120 Memphis Grizzlies
Atlanta Hawks 106-109 Minnesota Timberwolves
Milwaukee Bucks 107-125 Oklahoma City Thunder
Denver Nuggets 120-121 San Antonio Spurs
Detroit Pistons 107-89 Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets 116-107 Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz 110-109 Los Angeles Clippers