The Golden State Warriors lost 114-109 to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, giving up control of their own future due to play-in seeding. 

The Warriors, who are 45-36 on the season, will need the Lakers and Kings to lose again to avoid dropping back to the 10th spot in the Western Conference.

The Warriors rested Draymond Green and Klay Thompson in their Thursday night victory over the Blazers. However, both Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga were out on Friday, putting pressure on the veterans to perform.

The Warriors got out to a good start, leading by 11 points at many times in the first and second quarters, but New Orleans closed the half on a 35-13 surge to take control of the game. For the most of the third quarter, the Pelicans led by double digits but were unable to secure the victory.

Triples by Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry brought the Warriors within one possession early in the fourth quarter, and another late flurry from Steph kept the Warriors a play or two away from tying the game late, but it was ultimately too little, too late.

Green gave Zion Williamson a lot of trouble defensively, but he still scored 26 points on 26 attempts. He also caused havoc on defense, totaling six steals.

Furthermore, Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III and guard CJ McCollum both had outstanding three-point shooting performances. Murphy finished 8-for-12 from the field (6-for-9 from three), with 22 points, while McCollum led the Pels with 28 points, including eight three-pointers.

The Pelicans were in control for the majority of the game, thanks to the former number-one overall pick’s continued production and two other strong shooting efforts. To respond, the Warriors needed to put on an outstanding offensive performance. Unfortunately, they only received one.

While Steph Curry appeared fatigued at moments on Thursday night, he still scored a game-high 33 points on highly efficient shooting (12-for-22). Despite getting an additional night’s rest, Klay Thompson failed to locate his shot and finished 6-for-19 from the field. Green had 11 rebounds and 12 assists but didn’t take a shot during the contest.

Aside from the franchise’s faces, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Chris Paul, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and Kevon Looney each scored at least five points, although none scored more than ten. Without Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins was 5-for-14 from the field, scoring 14 points.