Warriors 0-6 on road, fall to Pels with 4 starters out
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Golden State coach Steve Kerr foreshadowed a plan to adjust playing time across his roster in the coming week.
Something needs to change if the Warriors intend to defend their NBA title.
The Warriors fell to 0-6 on the road, losing 114-105 to Brandon Ingram and the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins sidelined.
“Excited about getting home,” Kerr said after a winless, five-game road trip concluded. “Next week will be a great opportunity for us to get a lot of work in.
“We’re going to change up the rotations a little bit,” Kerr continued, adding that he’s identified players “who maybe haven’t gotten a ton of minutes who are going to get a chance to play.”
The Pelicans, meanwhile, benefited from Ingram’s return from a four-game absence because of a concussion. He scored 26 points on an array of drives and perimeter shots.
“Good to have him back, honestly. We needed his production tonight,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “He picked up some slack for us.”
CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. each scored 20 points for New Orleans. Zion Williamson added 16.
Jordan Poole had 20 points and nine assists for the Warriors. Kevon Looney was the only regular starter in uniform.
The Warriors are 3-7 overall. Among Western Conference teams, only Houston (18) has more losses.
Curry, Thompson, Green and Wiggins all were scratched after playing the previous night in a loss at Orlando.
The Warriors are not playing Thompson on back-to-back nights because of his anterior cruciate ligament and Achilles tendon injuries in 2019 and 2020. Green is under similar limitations because of a back injury last season. Curry was being rested because of elbow soreness and Wiggins because of a sore left foot.
A starting lineup that instead included Poole and fellow guard Moses Moody, along with forwards Anthony Lamb and Jonathan Kuminga, made the game competitive into the fourth quarter.
“Couldn’t get it done, but very happy with the effort,” Kerr said. “There’s a lot of good stuff to take from it.”