THE BASICS
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. Friday at Smoothie King Center. TV: ESPN and NBC Sports Bay Area. Radio: KGMZ 95.7 “The Game” in Oakland and San Francisco, KRTY 95.3 in San Jose, KION 1460 and 101.1 in Salinas and Monterey.
WHAT HAVE THEY DONE LATELY
Warriors: If regulation NBA games lasted 48 minutes and two-tenths of a second, the Warriors would be 1-0. But without those extra tenths, the Warriors wound up losing their season opener to the Houston Rockets 122-121 on Tuesday. Golden State led virtually the entire way — and by as many as 17 points — before giving it away in the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant’s 18-footer as time ran out was ruled to be too late upon replay review.
Pelicans: New Orleans lost its season opener 103-91 at Memphis on Wednesday night. Anthony Davis (33 points, 18 rebounds) and DeMarcus Cousins (28 point, 10 rebounds, seven blocks) put up the numbers, but it wasn’t enough. Cousins is in midseason form, having drawn his first technical foul of the season late in the fourth quarter when the outcome had been decided.
2016-17 SEASON SERIES
The Warriors won the series 4-0. … On Oct. 28 at New Orleans, the Warriors got their first victory of the season, 122-114 as Durant had 30 points and 17 rebounds. Klay Thompson had 28 points and Stephen Curry added 23 as the Big Three combined for 81 points. Davis had 45 points and 17 rebounds. … On Nov. 7 at Oracle Arena, the Warriors won 116-106 as Curry scored 46 points and made an NBA-record 13 3-pointers (on only 17 attempts), breaking the single-game record he shared with Donyell Marshall and Kobe Bryant. This came one game after Curry went 0 for 10 on 3-point attempts in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Curry, Thompson (24 points) and Durant (22) combined for a 92 points. … On Dec. 13, the Warriors won 113-109 at New Orleans. That outcome was sealed by two stunning defensive plays against Davis. With 36 seconds left and the score 111-108, Durant swooped in from the other side of the lane to block Davis’ layup attempt. With five second left and the score 111-109, Draymond Green stole the ball from Davis to essentially clinch the victory. … On April 8, the Warriors defeated New Orleans 123-101 at Oracle Arena as Durant made his return from a knee injury suffered Feb. 28.
INJURY UPDATE
Green (knee strain) has been upgraded from doubtful to probable for tonight’s game. An MRI of his knee showed no structural damage. Andre Iguodala, who missed the opener because of a back strain, also is probable.
FIRST LOOK
This will be the Warriors first look at the Pelicans’ duo of Davis and Cousins. The teams met once last season after the All-Star-break trade, but Davis (sore left knee) and Cousins (achilles tendinitis) did not play.
EDUCATION OF A ROOKIE
Warriors rookie forward Jordan Bell got to see what it will take defensively to make it in the NBA. In his first regular-season action, he wound up on the wrong end of matchups against Rockets guard James Harden — one of the toughest defensive assignments in the NBA. After turning the ball over on a bad pass in the first quarter, Bell found himself matched up one-on-one against Harden at the arc. Harden put several moves on Bell: jab step, crossover, between the legs, reverse pivot all the way to the basket for a layup. On another, it was crossover, then between the legs before pulling up and hitting a 3-pointer. Bell also was on the receiving end of a drive by Eric Gordon. Normally content to hoist 3-pointers, Gordon took the ball to the basket several times Tuesday, including an emphatic dunk after beating Bell from the arc.
FAMILIAR SITUATION
Last season, the Warriors came to New Orleans for Game 2 of the season still seeking their first victory after being thrashed on opening night at home by San Antonio 129-100.
OFF NIGHT FOR CURRY
Except for a nine-point flurry in the fourth quarter, opening night wasn’t a good for Curry. He battled early foul trouble and didn’t shoot particularly well. He had two of the Warriors’ four turnovers in the fourth quarter.
BENCH STRENGTH
Offensively, reserve Nick Young made an impressive Warriors debut. As advertised, he came off the bench and hit open 3-pointers (6 of 7) and led the team in scoring with 23 points in 26 minutes.
CONDITIONING DRILL
If coach Steve Kerr contends that his players aren’t in shape yet, they soon will be. Tonight’s game is the first of seven in an 11-day span.
