The Golden State Warriors won this game to get their sixth win, contrasting with their 24 losses. The Pelicans, who were the losing team in the contest, have just one more win than the Warriors. How is that even possible? The Pelicans are practically bursting with legitimate NBA talent. They have J.J. Redick, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram, E’Twaun Moore, Derrick Favors, Lonzo Ball (LOL), and even decent role-players like Josh Hart and Jahlil Okafor. Meanwhile, the Warriors’ only player who holds a candle to those guys is D’Angelo Russell. And maybe Alec Burks if he’s on that day.
Maybe you can think about adding the name Damion Lee to the list of better-than-expected Warriors scrubs who will help them achieve victories over more talented, but somehow less cohesive units like the Pelicans. This is Lee’s third twenty-point game on the season, and while he’s had a bunch of dud shooting performances (who on the Warriors hasn’t had a bunch of those?), he’s also had some impressive outings like this one that make you think “maybe Steph isn’t totally embarrassed to have this dude as a brother-in-law”. It also makes you think “maybe Lee is in the NBA because of his skill and not because of nepotism”.
And, I don’t know about you, but when Lee plays this well, I think to myself, “Damion Lee looked really cool when he wore that ninja headband last year but the NBA stands for ‘No Bandanas Allowed’ and they decided that ninja headbands are kinda like bandanas which is total horse poo.” I think I will wear a ninja bandana to my next pickup game as a show of solidarity with this unfair oppression.