Golden State Warriors: Takeaways from Game 1 win vs. Pelicans

2. Looney can guard The Brow, apparently

As I said, Kevon Looney posted a team-high +34 against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, and believe me when I say that I didn’t believe it, either.

On the surface, Looney tallied three points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 24 minutes. He shot 1-for-1 from the field, but went 1-for-4 from the free throw line.

Take a closer look, and you’ll find that the main reason Looney ended the night with the game’s best plus-minus is because of his defense. Loon was completely locked in on that end of the floor, holding his own in one-on-one matchups and effectively helping off his man when necessary.

What took me most by surprise was Looney’s defensive numbers against Anthony Davis, which revealed that The Brow shot just 2-of-9 from the field (22.2 percent) when guarded by Loon. Looney notably played a team-high 37 possessions against AD and didn’t get called for a foul once.