Takeaways from Warriors' Win Over Pelicans: A New Splash Brother Emerges
The Golden State Warriors (9-6) made a season-high 24 three-pointers en route to a 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans (2-11) on Sunday.
The Warriors have now won three consecutive road games, but this one felt much different than the previous two.
Stephen Curry struggled with just nine points, but he got lots of help, including a special first-quarter performance from Golden State's hottest three-pointer shooter.
Below are three takeaways from the Warriors' dominant victory.
Moses Moody Is Steph's New Splash Brother
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will always be the Splash Brothers. They played 11 seasons together (13 if you can't the two seasons Thompson missed due to injury) and are arguably the two best three-point shooters in the NBA history.
When Thompson left Golden State before the 2024-25 season, many Warriors fans claimed that Buddy Hield would fill the role as Curry's Splash Brother.
Hield had his moments last year, but you can't be a Splash Brother if you shoot just 37 percent from three.
Entering Sunday, Moses Moody was in the audition stage for Splash Brother. He was shooting 41.9 percent from three, but he hadn't had a big performance that left no doubt.
That came Sunday.
Moody had seven threes in the first quarter, joining Curry and Thompson as the only Warriors to do so in one stanza. He finished with 32 points and eight threes on just 12 attempts, and he's now shooting 45.3 percent from three.
He's officially a Splash Brother until further notice.
Warriors Trade Targets Disappoint, but There's a Catch
I've written a few times about how the Warriors can target Herb Jones or Trey Murphy III at the trade deadline if they choose to deal Jonathan Kuminga. Both are three-and-D wings who would start and in theory make the Warriors more dangerous.
But you wouldn't know it based on Sunday's performance.
Murphy had 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting (2-of-6 from three), but what stood out most was his inability to take care of the ball. He had five turnovers to just two assists.
Jones had just six points on 2-of-7 shooting (0-of-3 from three). If the Warriors are going to give up Kuminga and perhaps some draft capital for him, they'll need him to fulfill the "three" part of the three-and-D moniker. He's at 37.2 percent this season, which is a passable number, but he shot just 30.6 percent last season.
So what was the catch, you ask?
Both defended Steph Curry extremely well, holding him to just nine points on 2-of-11 shooting with four turnovers. Jones was suffocating in particular, as he took the majority of possessions against him.
They continue to be viable trade targets, but the Warriors will have to keep an eye on Jones' shooting before trading for him.
Podz Responds to Kerr's Challenge
On the latest episode of his podcast, Draymond Green revealed an interesting note about Brandin Podziemski.
"I found that the great coach Steve Kerr challenged Brandin Podziemski, and he came out and played his best game of the year (against the Spurs on Wednesday)."
Podz played two steady games against the Spurs, but his offense didn't stand out. He combined for just 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
On Sunday, Podz had his best offensive game in November, scoring 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting with three assists and no turnovers. He went 3-of-7 from three, which makes him 8-of-18 from three since Kerr's challenge.
The third-year guard has looked totally engaged on both ends over the last three games, even though he's had to come off the bench while rookie Will Richard starts in his spot.
Podz deserves a lot of credit for not letting that get to him.
Derrick White’s Candid Admission On Jayson Tatum’s Constant Sideline Presence
Jayson Tatum’s injury in the 2025 NBA playoffs spilled milk over the Boston Celtics’ plans for the 2025-26 season. With a team’s star player effectively ruled out for the whole campaign, there’s little they can dream about. Still, Tatum is at the TD Garden almost every night by the bench, cheering his teammates on as they hold the fort down.
The Celtics are currently having a .500-esque season. They’re not terrible without Tatum, but nowhere close to being as dominant as they were just a year ago. Boston is currently 7-7 after their win over the Clippers earlier today, and is 11th in the East.
It looks like a play-in position would be most realistic for the Celtics, and Tatum will most likely still be there, present on the sidelines. Derrick White, who has averaged 15.5 ppg this season, recently spoke about the 2024 Finals MVP’s impact on the team.
White started with a joke when asked about Tatum’s role. This topic came up for discussion after a video of Tatum coaching Jordan Walsh during a timeout against the Clippers got
Quickly turning serious, White admitted, “Obviously a great basketball mind. So just there, supporting us, telling us what he sees, encouraging us, just a bunch of other things throughout the game. So it is always great to have something like that.”
It is always special motivation for others on a roster to see their injured star come out every single night and help them get better. It is one of the true hallmarks of being a good leader and shows how much Tatum cares about the Celtics.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, in an interview discussing Tatum’s season so far, said, “He has done a great job. Obviously, his ability to lead on the court has been taken away. He has done a great job leading off the court with the work ethic of his recovery.”
Other teammates, including Tatum’s deputy of sorts, Jaylen Brown, have also praised Tatum for being a strong leader, which is something that has kept the Celtics going during his on-court absence.
Tatum’s recovery is reportedly going well, and although nothing is guaranteed, there is a chance he returns before the postseason, which could be just enough time for him to lead them past the play-ins.
