The benefits of a deep roster were evident Tuesday night, and not just because the Warriors rolled to victory with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins watching from the bench.

Their 124-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans was a bit of a surprise as they were slight underdogs, opening with three players making their first starts of the season and a 14-point first quarter that ended with Golden State trailing on 17.

Given the makeup of this team, what happened over the next 36 minutes could become the norm. The Warriors’ 110-75 defeat over the final three quarters was a direct result of them being the more committed team.

“They were just the more aggressive team and we didn’t respond when they noticed their physicality,” Pelicans star Zion Williamson told reporters at Chase Center.

The Warriors are exhibiting elite hustle play this season and there it was again. They chased loose balls with great spirit. They harassed the Pelicans so much that they committed 24 turnovers, of which Golden State scored 34 points.

“Can you win if you don’t shoot well? How do you do that?” coach Steve Kerr asked at his post-game press conference. “You defend, you rebound, you keep your balance. And everyone who comes off the bench continues to bring energy. That’s what I liked most about this game tonight. We saw all those things happening and that allowed us to turn the tide.”

Every man who spoke did so with fire in his gut and conviction in his heart. When Kerr announced last week that he planned to play his entire squad, it was clear that all ears were engaged.

Everyone – especially those who started the season from the bench – concluded that the distribution of minutes would be determined in real time and mainly on the basis of merit.

“If Steve finds a group that’s playing really well, he’ll ride that wave,” Buddy Hield told reporters. “As it should be, because it gives everyone energy from the bench, and it trickles down like a second-hand effect.”

This game was an illustration of a team where most players strive for respect and know that the surest way to achieve that is to show how much winning means to you. Every man on the roster wants to prove that he is a legitimate NBA player and that he has the skills to make an impact.

Simply put, every guy wants to be so effective in his minutes that Kerr will have a hard time stifling him. And the grit was visible on offense and defense.

Hield, normally the team’s sixth man, started in place of Andrew Wiggins at shooting guard, couldn’t get a hold and had just three points at the half, on 1-for-8 shooting, including 1-for-5 from deep . He came off the bench in the second half and lit up the Pelicans for 25 points, on 8-of-10 shooting, making all six of his three-point attempts.

Lindy Waters, the team’s 13th man, inherited the Sixth Man role and thrived on his first chance to play meaningful minutes. He finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Waters played 31 minutes and looked ready for more.

“It was very contagious, exciting and exhilarating,” Waters said. “We started getting stops and started playing more physical on defense. We started rebounding and running back, you know we started flowing on offense. Boys started having fun, shots started coming in, so very contagious.

The brotherhood atmosphere of training camp carries over into the regular season. Everyone wants action, but everyone is willing to share along the journey. Once that horrific first quarter was over, the Warriors rallied again and went on a mission. They had two assists in the first quarter and 32 in the last three.

The kind of tenacity the Warriors needed to regain the respect they lost after missing last season’s playoffs was on display. Curry and Wiggins enjoyed the runaway in comfortable clothes. Kerr allowed himself the broad smile of a proud coach.

“I’m just happy to have this kind of depth for nights like tonight when we’re missing three guys,” Kerr said. “And it will benefit us a lot over the course of 82.”

Once threatened, the Warriors fought back with a vengeance. There was no flinching, not the slightest sign of withdrawal or even concern. With a few words of encouragement from Draymond Green, they came together, got dirty and believed this was the way.

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