Warriors at Pelicans
The legend of Stephen Curry continues to grow and the Golden State Warriors are on the verge of riding their star into the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors will try to cap off a four-game sweep in the first round when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Curry capped off a 20-point, fourth-quarter comeback with an off-balance corner 3-pointer while being knocked to the ground to force overtime in Game 3, and then sealed it at the free-throw line in the extra period to wrap up a 123-119 win. “To make that shot, it shows everything Steph is about, even on a night when he wasn’t having a great shooting performance,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “His confidence level is just off the charts. He’s fearless.” The loss was crushing for the Pelicans, who dominated the first three quarters and were still up 17 points with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. “We're all feeling like dirt right now," New Orleans coach Monty Williams told reporters. "Obviously, you want to build them up, but there's nothing that can build you up with a situation like that.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Curry finished with 40 points and Klay Thompson added 28, but Draymond Green’s third double-double of the series and Golden State’s rebounding down the stretch were just as big. Curry missed several shots from deep late in regulation but offensive rebounds led to second chances, including Marreese Speights’ offensive board before the game-tying shot. “It was just determination and will,” Green told reporters. “We have a group of guys whose competitive spirits are through the roof. We never give up.”
ABOUT THE PELICANS: Anthony Davis went for 29 points and 15 rebounds in the loss but missed a free throw at the end of regulation that would have put the game out of reach and came up empty on a tying attempt in the final seconds of overtime. The 22-year-old also had trouble keeping the Warriors off the offensive glass down the stretch, even when Golden State went to a small lineup. “We're down 0-3 and it's a must win and we all know that,'' Williams told reporters. ''We had it and we let it go and I can't say it enough, we just didn't execute in the fourth quarter.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. New Orleans G Eric Gordon went 1-of-6 from 3-point range in Game 3 after hitting 9-of-17 in the first two contests.
2. Golden State F David Lee (lower back strain) missed the first three games and is questionable for Saturday.
3. No NBA team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.