NBA results: Draymond Green leads Warriors past Pelicans

When the undermanned Golden State Warriors beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, it came after a terrible first quarter. The Dubs turned things on after that quarter, and apparently they didn't turn things off when the game was over.

The Warriors and Pelicans met again on Wednesday night for the “Baseball Series” we’re all still getting used to. And Golden State picked up right where they left off, even with Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De'Anthony Melton out again.

With Lindy Waters III in the starting lineup, the Warriors' lineup looked good early on, even if the shots weren't falling at first. But the Warriors set the pace defensively, with Moses Moody squeezing Brandon Ingram while Draymond Green completely shut down Zion Williamson. The Pelicans repeatedly tried to drive the offense through Williamson, but to no avail. Eventually, the defense began to transition to offense as the Warriors found a rhythm. They turned the ball over five times but still led 28-20 when the buzzer sounded.

After the Dubs scored the first four points of the second quarter to take a 32-20 lead, they took their foot off the gas and the Pelicans went on a 10-run run, forcing a Steve Kerr timeout. The timeout was initially of little use as the run turned into a 16-2 lead for New Orleans and the Pelicans took the lead again. The Dubs didn't go down without a fight, however, as they narrowed the game to a half with elite defensive possession after elite defensive possession. The teams battled back and forth, with a Buddy Hield buzzer hitting the three-pointer to give Golden State a 48-44 lead at halftime.

And then the Third Quarter Warriors showed up. Thanks once again to a top-notch defensive performance from Green against Williamson, the Warriors opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run to build a comfortable lead. And from then on they never looked back. The defense forced bad shot after bad shot and turnover after turnover, and by the final frame they had a comfortable lead of 79-66.

Golden State pitched a shutout for more than two minutes early in the fourth quarter, although its own offense didn't do much. Soon the 13-point lead became a 16-point lead, and then it became a 20-point lead as the final result became more and more clear. New Orleans made a late push but never got closer than 12 points, and the Warriors eked out a 104-89 win to win the series and start the season 4-1.

Hield led the way with 21 points, but it was a complete team effort, especially on defense. A day after Williamson and Ingram scored 61 points, the Warriors — led by Green, Moody and Jonathan Kuminga — limited those two All-Stars to a combined 26 points on 10-for-31 shooting and six turnovers. With CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III all injured, New Orleans simply didn't have the offensive power to match Golden State's fantastic defensive performance.

After a brilliant first week of the season, the Warriors now face a tough test. They get two days of rest before beginning a five-game road trip that begins Saturday against the Houston Rockets and includes a stop against the defending champion Boston Celtics and arguably the Western Conference's best team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Hopefully Curry, Wiggins and Melton return for these games. And hopefully the Dubs keep the good times rolling.