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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Maybe it was Andre Iguodalas presence in the starting lineup. Maybe it was coach Mark Jackson publicly challenging his players. Or maybe it was simply facing an undermanned opponent at home. Whatever the reason, the Golden State Warriors finally started to look like the team that started off so strong this season. Stephen Curry had 28 points and 12 assists, David Lee added 21 points and 17 rebounds and the Warriors beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 104-93 on Tuesday night in Iguodalas long-awaited return. "Hes a guy that makes life so much easier for everybody on the floor," Jackson said. "His ability to make plays, his ability to read and react, we missed him. Glad to have him back. And then there was a carryover effect." Iguodala finished with two points and two assists in 17 minutes after missing the previous 12 games with a left hamstring injury. The Warriors led by 10 points in the first quarter, 18 at halftime and 26 late in the third quarter. Golden State, which is 9-2 with its regular starters in the lineup, never trailed. "I felt good. I got tired of watching," said Iguodala, who was 1-for-4 shooting. "You get a new appreciation for the game, especially seeing your brothers struggle. I thought it was a great game by everyone." The Warriors outshot the Pelicans 45.1 to 37.5 per cent and outrebounded them 58 to 44 to control the game -- for the most part -- from start to finish. New Orleans made a brief run in the fourth quarter against Golden States backups before the starters returned and restored order. The Pelicans played without injured starters Anthony Davis (broken left hand) and Tyreke Evans (sprained left ankle). Ryan Anderson had 21 points and six rebounds and Jason Smith scored 12 for New Orleans, which has lost its first two games of a five-game trip. "Just a bad game from the start," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. The Warriors went 5-7 after Iguodala injured his hamstring Nov. 22, losing three of their last four games. They had especially struggled on defence, though the problems extended beyond Iguodalas absence. Jackson even called out his players for a lack of effort after a loss at Phoenix on Sunday, saying "I am finding that the guys in the suit and tie want it more than the guys in uniform." After a string of slow starts during its recent slide, Golden State opened the game against New Orleans with the kind of heart and hustle Jackson has wanted from his team. The Warriors dominated at both ends of the floor in a near-flawless first quarter. About the only blemish in the period came when Harrison Barnes suffered a left eye lid abrasion and was poked in the eye inadvertently by Lou Amundson going for a rebound. He returned a few minutes later. The Pelicans played mostly on the perimeter and got nothing going offensively. The misses gave the Warriors several fast-break opportunities, and they took advantage of them throughout. Iguodala punctuated the fast start when he finished an alley-oop from Curry late in the second quarter for his only basket, sending most of the announced sellout crowd of 19,596 roaring to its feet. Two possessions later, Curry followed with a layup through traffic to give Golden State a 57-39 lead at the half. "Just a tough game. Another one of those that they just had a little bit more energy than us," Anderson said. The Warriors went ahead by 26 points late in the third quarter, and Iguodala nearly pulled off one of the highlights of the season during the run: He dribbled to his right, faked a behind-the-back pass, bounced the ball through the legs, then cuffed it with his right hand and tried to dunk over Smith -- but missed off the back iron. Klay Thompson scored 16 points and Andrew Bogut added eight points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors. The only rally New Orleans put together came against the bottom of the Warriors bench. The Pelicans sliced Golden States lead to 93-80 with 6:02 remaining before Jackson put all of his starters except Iguodala back in to regain control. "This team was challenged by our coach," Lee said, "and we knew this we as a game we needed to have." NOTES: Golden State has won six straight against New Orleans. ... Curry has scored 20 points or more in a career-best 11 straight games. ... New Orleans is 3-4 since Davis broke his hand Dec. 1. Cheap Nike Air Max China .Martin Caceres marked his return from injury by scoring in the 3-1 win at Napoli and he believes Juventus sent out a warning to the rest of the league with that result.We go out on the pitch every game looking to give our all, Caceres said. Wholesale Nike Shoes .J. Ellis have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract. http://www.wholesaleairmax.us/ .com) - The top spot in the AFC South will be on the line when Houston native Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts shoot for their fourth straight win when they take on the Texans at NRG Stadium. Wholesale Nike Air Max . -- Derek Jeter says the New York Yankees have no choice but to move forward now that Alex Rodriguez has accepted his suspension for the 2014 season. Wholesale Air Max China . - Pierre-Maxime Poudrier scored twice and added an assist, and Antoine Bibeau made 43 saves as the Val-dOr Foreur downed the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 6-3 on Sunday to force Game 7 in their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League final series. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ryan Getzlaf and Jonas Hiller propelled the Anaheim Ducks into the second half of their season with the NHLs best record and ample reason to think they could get even better in the new year. Getzlaf scored his 20th goal and added two assists, Francois Beauchemin got his first goal of the season, and the Ducks beat the San Jose Sharks 6-3 Tuesday night, closing the best December in club history with their 11th victory in 12 games. Nick Bonino and Matt Beleskey each had a goal and an assist, and Hiller made 33 saves in his ninth consecutive win as Anaheim improved to 15-0-2 at Honda Center, remaining the only NHL team without a regulation loss at home. With another overpowering offensive performance despite a slow start, the Ducks also avenged San Joses 3-1 victory at the Shark Tank on Sunday that snapped Anaheims franchise-record winning streak. "Were a good hockey club, and we know it," said Getzlaf, the NHLs third-leading scorer with 47 points. "But we also know weve got to get better. Games like this, when you come out flat, teams will bury you." Andrew Cogliano scored a short-handed goal while playing in his 500th consecutive game for Anaheim, which kicked off the second half of its schedule and headed into the new year at a franchise-record 29-8-5. The Ducks lead San Jose by seven points in the Pacific and sit even with Chicago atop the overall NHL standings with 63 points. Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau has built one of the best teams in hockey, but the Ducks dissatisfaction with their start against San Jose indicated a hunger to get better. "Its been a lot of fun, and I hope we can keep this going," said Hiller, whose winning streak is the longest in club history. "Its nice to be up there in the standings and to be able to achieve something like we have this year, but I dont think anybody is satisfied yet." Kyle Palmieri also scored for the Ducks, who shredded their Pacific Division rivals and chased Antti Niemi with five goals in an 11 1/2-minute span of the final two periods. Dan Boyle and Bracken Kearns scored power-play goals as the Sharks four-game winning streak ended with a dismaying defeensive effort in front of Niemi, who stopped 29 shots.dddddddddddd Logan Couture also scored for San Jose, which dominated the first period before falling apart in the second. Alex Stalock replaced Niemi after Getzlaf blasted a wrist shot past the Finnish goalie for Anaheims fifth goal early in the third period. "You want to keep the momentum going, but the second period we were just caught staring, and it definitely cost us," Sharks captain Joe Thornton said. Two nights after the Sharks held Anaheim to one goal for the first time in 17 games since Nov. 22, the Ducks showed they havent lost their teamwork and offensive power by putting up a franchise-record 25 shots in the second period. "We were on our toes, winning the races," San Jose coach Todd McLellan said. "Where did it go in the second? I guess thats the big question we have to ask our group. What do you do? What do you bring to the team? Are you an energy guy? Do you hit, block shots, or just take up space? "We have got some guys ... that need to perform a little bit better." Beauchemin got a rebound goal after a lengthy cycle in the second. Couture tied it with his 12th goal before Bonino dived headfirst onto the ice to slap home Getzlafs rebound, ending Anaheims eight-game drought on power plays. Bonino then stole a pass behind San Joses net and got it in front to Beleskey for the grinding forwards second goal of the season. After Getzlaf chased Niemi, Cogliano put home Saku Koivus rebound when the Sharks gave up a 3-on-0 short-handed rush moments later. Cogliano became the fifth NHL player to play in 500 consecutive games from the start of his career. NOTES: San Jose announced F Tomas Hertl had successful surgery Tuesday to repair damaged ligaments in his right knee. ... Dustin Penner was a healthy scratch for the Ducks. Jakob Silfverberg took his place on the top line with Getzlaf and Corey Perry. ... Sharks C Tommy Wingels missed his first game of the season after running into the boards on Sunday. ... Sharks rookie LW Matt Nieto had an assist while making his first NHL appearance in his native Southern California. He is from nearby Long Beach. ' ' '