Preview: Warriors take on Pelicans in New Orleans

The Pelicans have had many teams with promise, but have never won a title unlike the Golden Empire.

The Golden State Warriors are hot out of the gates to start the 2024-2025 season, running out to a West best 11-3 record. Their next game will be against the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that has floundered out to 4-12 start. A big part of that reason the Pellies is the Warriors rocked them in back-to-back contests earlier this season.

But New Orleans is hoping that the third time is the charm, as they face the Dubs in front of their home fans in Louisiana.

Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans

When: November 22nd, 2024 | 4:30 PM PT

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area

Radio: 95.7 The Game

The Pelicans were once teeming with promise during the Anthony Davis era. Now they have fallen into the shadowy realm of irrelevance, a fate that feels almost cruel when you consider the talent that has passed through their roster. AD in his prime was a basketball demigod, a transcendent force who could dominate on both ends of the floor. Yet, despite his herculean efforts, the Pelicans never built a sustainable contender around him.

Instead their timeline has been a series of half-measures and fleeting flashes of brilliance. From the brief but tantalizing Jrue Holiday-Davis combo to the splashy acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins that fizzled out due to injury, the Pelicans have constantly flirted with the idea of contention but never fully committed.

Even post-AD the arrival of Zion Williamson was supposed to signify a new chapter of dominance. But Zion’s career has been more about cryptic injury reports and getting locked up by Draymond Green than actual dominance on the hardwood.

Now juxtapose this with the Golden State Warriors. While New Orleans wandered the wilderness, Golden State was rewriting NBA history. Steph Curry’s dynasty has churned out banners with ruthless efficiency—five Finals appearances, four championships, and a cultural revolution that forever changed how basketball is played. The Warriors didn’t just win; they defined an era.

Meanwhile the Pelicans have defined frustration. They’ve had talent but lacked cohesion. Star power but no stability. It’s not that New Orleans didn’t try; it’s that their efforts never matured into greatness. The Warriors serve as a cruel contrast—a team that maximized its stars and moments, while the Pelicans are still stuck chasing theirs. It’s a story of “what could have been” versus “what is,” and unfortunately for Pelicans fans, the reality is all too grim.

Time to add to some more frustration, let’s do it for former Pelican Buddy Hield!