After a convincing Game 4 victory, the Golden State Warriors returned home looking to close out the series against the New Orleans Pelicans to advance to the conference finals for the fourth consecutive year.

As the narrative goes, the Warriors got the job done, withstanding a late rally by the Pelicans to win 113-104. Golden State used a strong third quarter performance to bust open the game after only leading by three at halftime. The Pelicans then used a late 18-2 run to come within seven but fell short.

The theme of the first half

In the first half, the Warriors kept growing a small lead, which New Orleans kept recovering from.

The Warriors were unable to pull away in the first 24 due to Anthony Davis’ brilliance, scoring 18 points and snagging 10 rebounds. The Pelicans made a strong push late in the second quarter after trailing by 10 points, using an 11-0 run and going into halftime down 59-56.

The third quarter Warriors outburst

Coming out of the locker rooms, the Warriors erupted, forcing Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry to use up three timeouts in a course of four minutes to start the second half. In a blink of an eye, the Warriors ballooned the lead to 24 behind Stephen Curry’s incredible three-point shooting.

Curry scored 13 of his team-high 28 points in the third stanza to help the Warriors create major separation.

The ball movement by the Warriors was flawless during the quarter, as they outscored the Pelicans 36-19.

Pelicans put a scare into the Warriors

Just when everyone thought the game was going to be over, the Pelicans made one final desperate push midway through the final period. Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis and company narrowed the margin to seven points, but Draymond Green knocked down an unexpected fadeaway jumper to stop the bleeding for Golden State, a shot he deemed as pure "luck" in a post-game interview.

It was a resounding effort by the Pelicans, who played the fourth quarter without floor general Rajon Rondo, who suffered an unfortunate hamstring injury late in the game.

Kevin Durant finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, while Klay Thompson chipped in 23 points and six rebounds. Green almost notched a triple-double, accumulating 19 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists.

For the Pelicans, Davis led the way with a monster double-double of 34 points and 19 rebounds to go along with four blocks. Holiday gathered a triple-double, scoring 27 points, dishing out 11 assists, and gobbling down 10 rebounds. The two stars played 46 minutes each in a do-or-die situation.

The road ahead for Golden State

The Warriors will move on to the Houston Rockets in the conference finals, a team they also faced in the 2015 Western Conference Finals and beat 4-1. These two teams are the best offensive teams in the league, filled with many sharpshooters and individual talent.

It is expected to be an entertaining, up-tempo series between the West’s two best teams, but the Warriors are going in as the heavy favorites.
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