SAN FRANCISCO – Injury-diminished New Orleans was the perfect opponent for the Warriors, who on Saturday were taking their first tentative step into the expected brief void created by the absence of Stephen Curry .

One of six teams destined to blow past the 60-loss mark, the Pelicans are profoundly vulnerable but were plucky enough to drag the Warriors into “clutch game” territory.

The Warriors emerged victorious, 104-96 , but coach Steve Kerr and his staff will be blessed with plenty of video sure to leave various members of the roster palming their faces.

Three days after Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler III blistered the team for its polite approach to defense – which showed signs of improvement – their offense spent most of the evening trying to survive spells of self-suffocati

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