Waters seizes his opportunity and catapults Warriors to win vs. Pelicans originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – On a night when the Warriors were without their ultimate spark plug in Stephen Curry, Lindy Waters III provided all the power Golden State needed in its 124-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.

The fourth-year forward scored 21 points, grabbed a career-high eight rebounds and matched his best with four assists.

All while logging 30 1/2 minutes, more than any other Warriors player besides Brandon Podziemski.

“I’ve said it since the first day of (training) camp: This guy is a ball player,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The game flows when he’s there. It’s not just because he’s a good shooter. It’s the shots he doesn’t take because of his patience, it’s the cuts he makes to the basket, it’s competing defensively

“I couldn’t get him out until tonight, and he’s going to plead for more playing time.”

Waters made a nice case against the Pelicans. He shot 8 of 13 from the floor and made a trio of 3-pointers.

“He got us going,” Golden State teammate Buddy Hield said.

Waters spent his first three seasons playing sparingly for Oklahoma City before the Warriors acquired him in a trade from the Thunder on Day 2 of the 2024 NBA Draft.

He was somewhat buried on the Warriors’ bench, but broke out in a big way when he got the chance on Tuesday.

“It always feels good. I come in every day and do the work whether my number is called or not,” Waters said. “I’m the same person. But it feels good to go out and get a win, especially how we started. We just took our eyes off the scoreboard and concentrated on possession after possession.”

Some people felt that Waters’ performance in training camp would have made him a bigger part of the Warriors’ plans. When things initially didn’t work out that way, Waters tried to keep his feet on the ground.

“I’m grateful for what I have,” Waters said. “I can’t be greedy and have a bad attitude whether I get playing time or not. I’ll be the same person every day. I will always have a smile on my face and cheer on my teammates. Whatever my role is, I will accept it. I just want the team to win.

“Just always stay ready. That’s my mentality.”

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