OAKLAND, Calif. -- Two teams off to disappointing starts in their own way look to turn things around Monday night when the New Orleans Pelicans travel west to take on the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors, the two-time defending Western Conference champs, are coming off an alarming 117-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Already, Golden State (4-2) has two more losses than it had in its first 24 games last season.
Their four wins, however, are four more than the Pelicans have. New Orleans' season-opening losing streak reached six on Friday night with a 112-111 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns.
The loss was New Orleans' fourth in a row at home, so maybe starting a three-game trip Monday isn't such a bad thing. The Pelicans and Warriors already met in New Orleans, with Golden State prevailing 122-114 on Oct. 28.
The Pelicans were short-handed for that one, missing Jrue Holiday (personal reasons) and Tyreke Evans (knee surgery).
They since lost Lance Stephenson to a groin injury that will require surgery.
"We're not getting the breaks," Stephenson said after the Phoenix game, during which he sustained the injury. "We've gotta get the basketball gods on our side."
The deteriorating depth seems to be having a negative impact on Pelicans star Anthony Davis. He poured in 95 points in New Orleans' first two games, then 53 in the middle two and just 32 in the past two.
One of Davis' big games came against the Warriors. He contributed 45 points and 17 rebounds to the opening-week loss.
The Warriors had one of their good 3-point-shooting nights against the Pelicans, going 9 of 28. They outscored New Orleans 27-15 from beyond the arc that night, more than accounting for the margin of victory.
Golden State has hit 41 of its 113 3-point attempts (36.3 percent) in its four wins, and just 12 of 65 (18.5 percent) in its two losses.
The Warriors were a season-worst 5 of 32 (15.6 percent) Friday against the Lakers.
"We're not going to be perfect every night, man," Warriors newcomer Kevin Durant said after the Friday game. "As much as you want us to be, we're not."
Stephen Curry's record 157-game streak of games with at least one 3-pointer ended in Los Angeles. He will seek to start another run against the Pelicans, who have seen Curry bury almost half his 3-point attempts (26 of 53) in their past five meetings.
The Warriors beat the Pelicans in 14 of the past 15 head-to-head meetings, with the wins coming by an average of 12.1 points.
The Pelicans will be playing for the first time since Stephenson's injury. Having joined New Orleans as a free agent in September after playing for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies last season, the veteran was finding his way with his new team in recent games.
He began his Pelicans career with a total of 27 points and 16 assists off the bench in his first four games, then was much more productive -- 31 points and 13 assists -- in the club's two most recent games.
The Pelicans hope improved play from highly touted rookie Buddy Hield, who has shot just 31.7 percent in his first six NBA games, can help offset the loss of Stephenson.
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