Steph Curry made his 2018 playoff debut and it looked like the Golden State Warriors needed it. Unlike the Cavaliers, who needed monster performances from their role players to win their first game, the Warriors were able to rely on their MVP. Curry had 28 points, six rebounds, two assists, three steals, and six turnovers in 27 minutes of play-time. He made five of ten from three-point range and hit all seven of his free throws. The Warriors were plus 25 with Curry on the court and negative 21 with him off of it.
Warriors needed Steph’s strong performance
Kevin Durant led all scorers with 29 points and had six rebounds and seven assists, but he also had a negative five point-differential. Klay Thompson shot four for 20 from the field and hit only two three-pointers. Draymond Green was one rebound shy of another triple-double, but not shy of getting into several confrontations with various Pelicans players. No one on the Warriors really looked in sync at the beginning of the game and they trailed 11-18.
Curry immediately heats up
Steph Curry came off the bench in this game, a rarity for the all-star guard. He entered into the game with four minutes left in the first quarter, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he checked in.
Curry then proceeded to hit his first three-pointer on his first possession in the game, sending the Oracle crowd into a frenzy.
After that, everything seemed to go the Warriors’ way. Iguodala stole the ball and raced toward the other end. Rondo fouled Iggy while he was attempting a dunk, and the ball popped straight up before dropping directly through the basket.
The play was emblematic of how the entire game went: the Warriors only shot 47 percent from the field and had less field goal attempts than the Pelicans, but they still managed to score 121 points.
New Orleans comes up short again
For the second game in a row, new orleans did not have enough firepower to outlast Golden State.
The Pelicans’ four major players had strong performances: Rajon Rondo had 22 points and 12 assists, Jrue Holiday had 24 points and eight assists, Nikola Mirotic had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Anthony Davis finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds. However, the Pelican’s bench once again disappointed. Solomon Hill shot one for six from the field, and the rest of their bench gave them little us. Davis also appeared to tweak his ankle in the third quarter and was not the same the rest of the game. They managed to close the gap in the last two minutes of the game due to some sloppy passing from the Warriors, but the game never really felt in doubt.
Game 3 of the Warriors vs Pelicans is on Friday, May 4 at 6:00 PM on ESPN.
