Golden State Warriors @ New Orleans Pelicans
Friday, March 28, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA | Game ID: 22401072
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 28 25 29 13 95GSW 21 29 33 28 111
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Curry scores 23 in his return from injury and the Warriors top the Pelicans 111-95
NEW ORLEANS -- — Stephen Curry scored 23 points in his return from a two-game absence and the Golden State Warriors beat the New Orleans Pelicans 111-95 on Friday night.
Coming back from a March 20 pelvic bruise, Curry played 34 minutes and made just 7 of 21 shots, but also hit five 3-pointers.
Jimmy Butler had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Jonathan Kuminga added 16 points for the Warriors, now 1-2 on what could be a pivotal six-game road trip as they try to earn a top-six seeding in the Western Conference and bypass the play-in.
Bruce Brown scored 18 for injury-depleted New Orleans, which played without four starters including Zion Williamson (lower back).
Yves Missi had 12 points and 10 rebounds, the rookie center's 12th double-double.
The Pelicans led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter. Brandin Podzienski and Curry each hit 3s during an 8-0 Warriors run to open the third, and Golden State maintained the lead for nearly the entire second half.
Takeaways Warriors: Golden State came out flat and got away with it on a night that a rookie center was the only usual starter available for their opponent. Draymond Green fouled out with 3:15 to go.
Pelicans: New Orleans dropped to 1/3 in the four recent games Williamson had missed. Still, the Pelicans turned in a feisty and competitive performance with a lineup comprised mainly of usual reserves. Elfrid Payton , who has played in just 16 games this season, had 10 assists.
Key moment Warriors guard Buddy Hield , drafted sixth overall by the Pelicans in 2016, made a 3-pointer while being fouled for a 4-point play that gave Golden State a 100-85 lead with 7:12 left. New Orleans never threatened after that.
Key stat The Warriors made only one of their first 16 3-point shots before finishing 13 of 55.
Up Next Both teams play Sunday, when the Warriors visit San Antonio and the Pelicans host Charlotte.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
GSWBH B. Hield
BP B. Podziemski
DG D. Green
GS G. Santos
JB J. Butler III
JK J. Kuminga
KL K. Looney
MM M. Moody
QP Q. Post
SC S. Curry
NOPAR A. Reeves
BB B. Brown
EP E. Payton
JA J. Alvarado
JH J. Hawkins
JR J. Robinson-Earl
KB K. Brooks Jr.
KM K. Matković
KO K. Olynyk
YM Y. Missi
GSW/NOP the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur