The New Orleans Pelicans hope to have learned from experience as they looked for a break in the second game of their NBA-style doubleheader against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in San Francisco.

Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody – all making their first start of the season for Golden State – combined for 64 points on Tuesday night. The trio lifted the Warriors from a 20-point deficit to a 124-106 win in the opener of the two-match series.

A back-to-back schedule with the same opponent is rare for most NBA teams, but not for the Pelicans, who experienced it last week in Portland.

On that occasion, the Pelicans watched as the Trail Blazers exacted revenge for a 105-103 loss on Friday and a 125-103 victory on Sunday.

New Orleans now finds itself in the position of revenge seeker, something Zion Williamson is looking forward to.

“That’s the great thing about the NBA,” he said after Tuesday’s loss. “Sometimes you see the team again the next day or two days later. Other times you have to wait. But you always get another chance.”

Williamson had 31 points and Brandon Ingram scored 30 for the Pelicans, but they combined for 10 of the visitors’ 24 turnovers. Williamson had seven of the miscues, just one fewer than the Golden State team’s total.

As a result, the Warriors were able to overcome a 54.1 percent to 47.4 percent shooting disadvantage by making 23 more shots. Golden State had six more field goals than New Orleans in the game.

The Warriors finished with 12 more three-pointers than the Pelicans and hit 21-for-46 (45.7 percent) from long range.

With Stephen Curry out with an ankle injury, Hield led the long-range barrage with seven three-pointers. Moody shot 5-for-6 from beyond the arc for 15 of his 17 points.

Even without Andrew Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton due to back injuries, the Warriors showed more depth in the win. Golden State’s eight reserves outscored the Pelicans’ seven backups 54-30.

Lindy Waters III, one of the last to come off the bench in Golden State’s first three games while the team was at full strength, got 31 minutes of action Wednesday and responded with 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted afterward that he wasn’t surprised by the former Oklahoma City Thunder backup’s performance.

“I’ve been saying it since Day 1 of camp: This guy is a ballplayer,” Kerr said. “The game flows when he’s out there. It’s not just because he’s a good shooter; he’s a good basketball player. It’s the shots he doesn’t make because of his patience, it’s the cuts he makes to the basket, it becomes more and more difficult.” defensive in battle.

“From Day 1 of camp, this guy has honestly been one of our best players. I couldn’t get him there until Tuesday. I’m just happy to have this kind of depth for nights like tonight where we are We’re missing three guys , and that will benefit us a lot over the course of the 82 games.”

–Field-level media