The Golden State Warriors are off to a flyer this season, winning six of their seven opening matchups. The Stephen Curry-led are currently on a two-game winning streak and on Friday they face New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center. 

The Warriors are just behind the Utah Jazz, who have played a game more, on the Western Conference point charts. The team has been massively aided by contributions from the likes of Jordan Poole, Draymond Green, Gary Payton II and Andrew Wiggins. The side is only expected to get better with Klay Thompson still waiting in the ranks to make his much-awaited return. 

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In the last game, Poole took the pressure off Curry with a season-best 31 points, and the Warriors used one of their big third quarters of old to pull away and beat the Charlotte Hornets 114-92. Payton came off the bench scoring 14 points to go with three steals and drew a rousing ovation in the second half. 

Meanwhile, for the Pelicans, the matters haven’t been as shiny. They have lost five straight games and are ranked 25th in the league in points per game. The Pelicans have also been without All-Star forward Zion Williamson this season due to a right foot fracture and the team’s leading scorer Brandon Ingram has missed the last three games due to a right hip contusion.

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The struggling Pelicans in the last game were hammered by Tyrese Haliburton, who scored seven of his 20 points during a big run early in the fourth quarter, and the Sacramento Kings 112-99 on Wednesday.

However, the form of their centre Jonas Valanciunas will provide some hope to the fans. Valanciunas ranks second in the NBA in rebounding (14.1 rpg) and is scoring a career-high 19.2 points per game.