OAKLAND, Calif. -- With the Golden State Warriors, it's not a matter of if, but when. Oh, their surges will come; they will overwhelm foes and turn games into blowouts. The only question is how much time it will take for the surges to arrive -- and perhaps what kind of devastation they will cause.
On Friday, the Warriors scored a season-high 143 points against Chicago, but less than 24 hours later, the Warriors were staring at a season-low 17 points at the end of their first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans.
But while the Warriors appeared to be sleepwalking against New Orleans, it wasn't long before they snapped awake and took control, earning a 110-95 win at Oracle Arena without Kevin Durant, who missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle.
Including the 2015 postseason, Saturday's outcome marked Golden State's 23rd win in their last 24 games against the Pelicans.
Warriors star guard Stephen Curry missed his first 10 field goal attempts, which tied for his worst start to a game in his career, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He also started 0-for-10 on Oct. 31, 2012, against Phoenix.
"I was probably feeling myself a little bit from last game," Curry said, referencing his 33-point performance against the Bulls in which he scored 26 in the second quarter alone. "The shots I took, I was trying to do too much. Just made the game harder than it should be. And once you start the game like that, make or miss, really, it kind of just throws your rhythm off, and that's how that whole first quarter went."
But Curry bounced back and finished with a team-high 27 points on 9-of-25 shooting from the field while making all six free throw attempts.
"It takes a special kind of confidence to do what Steph did tonight," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I think he was like 0-for-10. I would have quit after like four shots and said, 'It's not my night.' Guys like Steph, MVP-caliber players, they find a way to turn a bad night into a good one."
To overcome such a slump requires, Curry said, "A stubbornness, almost, that nothing before whatever shot I'm about to take matters. You've kind of got to block it out the best you can, have a sense of amnesia, almost, and just rely on repetitions and the work that you put into it."
Klay Thompson added 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
The Pelicans were buoyed by their star big men, but DeMarcus Cousins (15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Anthony Davis (30 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks) could only offer so much.
And though the Warriors trailed by 14 early, they fought back -- largely behind a strong second and third quarter -- and took their first lead just before halftime, when Thompson hit a corner 3-pointer. By the fourth quarter, the Warriors held a lead as large as 16 points.
A key to Golden State's victory was outscoring New Orleans 20-3 off turnovers. While the Warriors had 30 assists and 10 turnovers, the Pelicans had 24 assists and 17 turnovers.
"The difference in the game was we turned the ball over," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "The difference in the game is we gave up too many offensive rebounds (11). The difference in the game was we weren't disciplined."
The Warriors won while debuting their "The Town" alternate jerseys that represented a nod to Oakland, where the team has been based for four decades. Draymond Green returned after missing a game for the Warriors, finishing with 6 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists.
Golden State will host the Sacramento Kingson Monday, their third game in four nights.