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Golden State Warriors host New Orleans Pelicans on Halloween

By The Sports Xchange
Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (L) celebrates with Warriors guard Klay Thompson as the Warriors beat the Houston Rockets on April 27, 2016 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. File photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI
Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (L) celebrates with Warriors guard Klay Thompson as the Warriors beat the Houston Rockets on April 27, 2016 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. File photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors will dust off an old trick Wednesday night, performing at home on Halloween for the first time since 2000 when they host the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the Pelicans, the Warriors will be facing the same team they visited on Halloween three years ago, a game in which Stephen Curry bombed in 53 points in a 134-120 win.

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Curry had 51 points in just three quarters the last time the Warriors were seen at home, that being in a 144-122 win over the Washington Wizards last Wednesday.

In the meantime, Golden State went on the road and swept the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls, with Klay Thompson exploding for 52 points and an NBA-record 14 3-pointers in Monday's 149-124 win at Chicago.

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"I just knew I was due to a big night," Thompson told reporters after his 14 threes broke the previous record of 13, held by Curry. "That's what I do this for, for those moments you're sharing with your teammates."

Thompson had ranked among the worst 3-point shooters in the league in the Warriors' first seven games, going 5-for-36 (13.9 percent). He hadn't made more than one in any game until his 14 against the Bulls.

The three-game road sweep gave the Warriors a 7-1 record, the best in the Western Conference.

Golden State's lone loss came at Denver, which is where the Pelicans opened a rugged five-game trip with a 116-111 defeat on Monday night. They were playing without standout big man Anthony Davis, who missed a second straight game with a sprained right elbow.

While the injury is not considered to be serious, Davis remains questionable for the Golden State game.

"I don't think it's anything that we're worried about," Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry announced Monday, before noting on Tuesday that his star would be a game-time decision.

The Pelicans opened the season 4-0, with Davis averaging 27.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and a league-leading 3.8 blocked shots per game.

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They lost to Utah and Denver without him, averaging 111.0 points in those games, 17.3 fewer than in their four wins.

After the Warriors, the Pelicans will complete their eight-day trip by visiting Portland, San Antonio and Oklahoma City.

The Pelicans have never played a road game on Halloween in their history. Davis had 26 points and 15 rebounds in their Halloween home loss to Golden State in 2015.

The meeting is the first since the clubs met in the Western semifinals last May, with Golden State prevailing 4-1 despite Curry sitting out Game 1 with a knee injury.

Draymond Green averaged a triple-double in the series with 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 10.0 assists.

Davis averaged 27.8 points and 14.8 rebounds for the Pelicans, including 33 points and 18 rebounds in Game 3, the only game New Orleans won in the series.

The Warriors have won 20 of the last 22 regular-season meetings against the Pelicans, although New Orleans came away with a 126-120 victory last April when the clubs last met in Oakland in the regular season.

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