The Golden State Warriors continued a string of good fortune this week with a win over Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and the New Orleans Pelicans. After a back-and-forth in the first half, with both sides exchanging blows, the Warriors pulled away with a big third quarter to secure the 124-106 win over their Western Conference rivals.

Stephen Curry missed the game tonight with an ankle injury but the Warriors hardly missed his presence out there with several of their trusted scorers stepping up to fill Steph’s shoes. Buddy Hield led the Warriors with 28 points and 3 steals on 7-11 shooting from three. Brandin Podziemski was behind him with 19 points (8-18 FG) and 5 assists in 33:32 minutes. Mosses Moody, who got the start in place of Jonathan Kuminga, finished with 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist on 75.9% shooting. Finally, 3x champion Draymond Green had 3 points and 7 assists in 28:30 minutes.

For the Pelicans, Ingram and Williamson were the only ones who showed up to play. With 31 points (12-19 FG), 8 rebounds, and 3 assists, Zion was the leading scorer of the game and he nearly led a comeback in the second half before the Warriors pulled away. Ingram dropped 30 points (12-17 FG), 4 rebounds, and 2 assists on 70.6% shooting. The duo were the only ones from their team to score in double figures.

It was an interesting matchup, to say the least, and it’s not the result you’d expect for a team without their superstar. Somehow, the Warriors were able to respond sans Curry, moving to 3-1 on the season and proving themselves as a formidable opponent in the West.

Here are some major takeaways from the game and what other factors played a role in the shocking result:

Buddy Hield’s Scorching Hot Shooting

Buddy Hield’s complicated past has haunted him since arriving in Golden State but he’s been nothing but heroic for his new team on the court. This season, he’s averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game on an amazing 52.0% shooting from three. He’s 8th in 3-pointers made this season with an average of 4.3 makes per game.

Tonight, Buddy had arguably his best game yet as a Warrior and it opened up the floor for the rest of his teammates. As he drained threes all night (7 in 28:48 minutes), the Pelicans struggled to keep it contained and were eventually overwhelmed by the Warriors’ scoring in the second half.

While Buddy is no Klay Thompson, he’s been on fire since his debut earlier this month and it’s sparked new life in the Golden State Warriors, who finished 10th in the West a season ago. If Hield can shoot like this all season, this team may end up being a bigger threat than we all thought.

Crucial Play From The Bench

Outside of Ingram and Williamson, the Pelicans didn’t get much in the way of scoring. But it was the exact opposite for the Warriors, who had multiple guys step up to deliver their best game of the year. The reserves combined to score 54 points, including Lincy Waters III, who had the game of his life off the bench with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists

Jonathan Kuminga was one of the biggest stories of the game after it was announced that he’d be coming off the bench in favor of Moses Moody. Warriors fans didn’t like the move, but Kuminga responded well off the bench with 17 points and crucial defensive plays all night.

In the past, depth has been a problem for the Warriors and it was certainly the case last year when they failed to come out of the play-in. This time, they seem to have some more support all around from both familiar and unfamiliar sources.

The Return Of Championship Defense

Perhaps the biggest element of the Warriors’ return to form is their defensive edge. While the Pels shot well from the field (54.1%), the Warriors forced 23 turnovers thanks to suffocating defense that allowed them to disrupt the Pelicans offense.

As a team, New Orleans only had 23 assists in the game and everyone besides the star duo was essentially shut down. Draymond Green led the way, of course, with 2 blocks and a steal in the game, and his efforts set the right tone for the Warriors’ defense.

It was through defense that the Warriors were able to win much of their previous titles and it’s through defense that they’ll have to win again before the Stephen Curry era is over. As great as No. 30 is with the ball, championship defense is so crucial to the team’s success and they showed tonight that they are still capable of putting that kind of pressure on opponents.