Warriors at Pelicans
Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans hope to match their last performance when they host the defending champion Golden State Warriors for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series Sunday afternoon. Davis registered 33 points, 18 rebounds and four steals while the Pelicans limited the Warriors to 38 percent shooting with suffocating defense for a decisive 119-100 victory Friday.
“It’s tough to come back from 0-3,” Davis told reporters after making 15-of-27 from the field. “Our mindset was to follow the game plan and whatever happens, happens. We followed the game plan to a ‘T.’” The Pelicans put more pressure on Golden State’s shooters after allowing 122 points per game in the first two of the series and drained 50 percent of their shots from the field - 14-of-31 from 3-point range - to pull away. Klay Thompson led the way with 26 points for the Warriors on Friday while Kevin Durant added 22 and Stephen Curry 19, making just 6-of-19 from the field, but it was more about New Orleans aggression being much better than Golden State’s work in the defensive end. “Obviously, it was no fun,” Thompson told reporters. “They did whatever they wanted. … We have to come back on Sunday and make them more uncomfortable, because they were way too comfortable.”
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Curry moved back into the starting lineup Friday in his second game back from an MCL sprain that kept him out more than a month, but connected on just 3-of-9 from 3-point range after making 5-of-10 in Tuesday’s 28-point performance. Forward Draymond Green is averaging a triple-double in the series (15.7 points, 12 rebounds, 10.7 assists) while Durant leads the team in scoring during the playoffs at 27.3. Thompson is averaging 22 points in the postseason, but is just 12-for-40 from behind the 3-point arc in the last five games after draining 13-for-20 in the first three.
ABOUT THE PELICANS: Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo dished out 21 assists in Friday’s victory and is averaging 13.9 in the playoffs with at least nine in all seven games during the postseason. “You can’t get assists without your teammates,” Rondo told reporters. “They made shots tonight, guys moved well without the ball. … It starts with defense. We were able to get stops, get out in transition, create mismatches in transition.” Davis is averaging 26.3 points and 14.3 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the field in the series while point guard Jrue Holiday scored 45 points combined in the last two games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Golden State is second-to-last at 33.6 percent from 3-point range in the playoffs after leading the league during the regular season (39.1).
2. New Orleans SG Ian Clark scored 18 points off the bench Friday after totaling 22 in his previous five games.
3. Curry needs three 3-pointers to pass Manu Ginoboli (324) for third on the NBA’s all-time playoff list and became the first Warrior to score 2,000 points in the postseason Friday.