The Warrior defense shuts down the Pelican attack during 123-87 win

In an early-season full of surprises for the Golden State Warriors, perhaps none have been bigger than that of the play on the defensive side of the ball. For a team that was widely considered to struggle on defense, the Warriors have done anything but, owning the league's second best defense an, following a 123-87 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night, a 10-4 record.

The Dubs held the Pelicans to less than 20 points in three quarters on Monday, while their offense paved the way, with outbursts of 32, 33 and 33 points in the first, third and fourth quarters. The offense was again paced by Stephen Curry, who finished with 33 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in just 26 minutes while shooting 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. Curry has led the Warriors in scoring in all 14 games of the season.

D'Angelo Russell added 22 points and eight assists of his own while Draymond Green put together yet another double-double, scoring 13 points, pulling in 13 assists and tallying six assists. Green is also finding his touch from beyond the arc, nailing his lone three-point attempt of the game and shooting over 40 percent on the year from deep.

The Warrior offense got started quickly, pulling out of the gates on a 14-0 run and ending the first quarter with a 32-15 advantage. The Pelican offense got going in the second quarter, pulling with 57-50 at halftime. The second half, however, belonged to the Warriors, who outscored the home team 66-37 in the final 24 minutes and allowing Curry, who is averaging 22 shots per game, much needed rest down the stretch.

The Warriors also are relying on consistently effective free throw shooting. They currently lead the league in free throw percentage at 82 percent, and only added to that total on Sunday, connecting on 27 of their 30 attempts (90%).

Up Next

The Warriors road trip continues on Tuesday night for the front end of a back-to-back in Memphis.

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