NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 42 points in 30 minutes and the Golden State Warriors remained unbeaten on the road with a 130-102 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
Chris Paul added 13 points off the bench, leading Golden State on a 13-1 run at the end of the third quarter that gave the Warriors a 98-78 lead.
Zion Williamson helped New Orleans keep it close in the first half, but got into foul trouble in the third quarter and finished with 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost for the first time this season after opening with a pair of victories.
Curry was playing in New Orleans for the first time in more than two years because of a combination of injuries and two scheduled nights off last season, when both Warriors visits to the Big Easy came on the second night of back-to-back games.
When he was introduced as a starter, he received a loud, enthusiastic ovation. He then opened the game with 11 points in the first 4:02, including a pair of 25-foot 3s.
“Hey, you wanted to see him, New Orleans,” Pelicans radio play-by-play announcer Todd Graffagnini exclaimed as one of the long early 3s went down. “Be careful what you wish for.”
Curry hit seven 3s on 13 attempts, shot 15 of 22 overall and 5 of 7 on free throws.
When Curry hit his sixth 3 from 29 feet, the crowd let out an awestruck, “Ooooooh.” One possession later, Curry elicited a similar reaction by hitting an off-balance rainbow from the baseline near the left corner.
Curry’s proverbial mic drop was a 31-footer that made it 120-92 with 4:39 left, after which Curry crouched at mid court and pounded his chest in celebration before being subbed out for good.
Williamson got into foul trouble in the third quarter, committing his third while dropping his shoulder into Green on the offense end before being whistled for his fourth while trying to break up a lob intended for Wiggins.
CJ McCollum scored 19 for New Orleans and rookie Jordan Hawkins, a first-round draft choice out of Connecticut, scored 12 points.
Each team scratched one of their top scorers. Golden State guard Klay Thompson and Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram were ruled out before the game with right knee soreness.
Paul, a 2005 New Orleans first-round draft choice who on Sunday had come of the bench for the first time in his career after 1,365 starts, played a reserve role for a second straight night, even though Thompson was scratched. Instead, coach Steve Kerr gave Moses Moody his 15th career start and he scored 13 points.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host Sacramento on Wednesday before heading back on the road for four straight.
Pelicans: Visit Oklahoma City on Wednesday in the first of two games on consecutive nights, with the second at home against Detroit.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
