Curry Leads Warriors to OT Win

Photo via USA Today

Wow. All you can really say is wow. The fairytale dream season continued for the Golden State Warriors last night. The Dubs completed an amazing fourth quarter comeback, they overcame a 20 point deficit for the victory, and this win came on the road over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.

The Warriors needed an extra session to complete the thrilling comeback, as they edged the Pelicans in the overtime period 123-119. The series is now all but over. Teams trailing 0-3 in the history of the NBA are 0-110 all time.

Everything was going right for the Pelicans through three quarters in this basketball game. The home playoff debut of stud, Anthony Davis was going according to plan. The Pelican fans were very loud and energetic all night long. In a city known for celebration, they seemed to be on their way. The Pelicans seemed poised to take game three and maybe surprise some people by making this an interesting series. Stephen Curry said not so fast.

The MVP hopeful was at it again. With his father Dell Curry and brother Seth Curry cheering from the crowd, Steph had a clutch performance for the ages. Curry didn’t exactly have a great shooting night for his standards. He was 10 of 29 from the field and seven of 18 from three. He did make 13-14 from the line and finish with 40 points. The shot he made to tie the game, late in the 4th, was among the most difficult clutch shots of his young career.

With nine point six seconds left in the game, the Warriors inbounded to Curry down three. In most cases this season we have seen the opponent foul to avoid the three point shot and tie. Curry caught the inbound pass from Draymond Green and quickly fired a three that was off the mark. However bench player Marreese Speights made the unsung hero play of the night by grabbing the offensive rebound and kicking it back to Curry.Curry then relocated in the corner…. Splash. Pure. Bottom. Tie game.

He was probably fouled too which would have meant a four-point play opportunity. The game was headed to overtime and the Warriors just had too much momentum.

The Pelicans offense was clicking on all cylinders through the first 3 quarters. They led 89-69 after 3 and got great contributions from players not named Anthony Davis. New Orleans Forward Ryan Anderson was fantastic. He came off the bench to shoot 10-14 from the field, in 30 minutes, to finish with 26 points. Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole made positive offensive contributions for the Pelicans finishing with 19 and 16 points respectively.

After struggling in game one Klay Thompson has really come on strong for Warriors. When he is shooting well the offense is way more dynamic and it really opens the floor up for driving lanes. Klay shot nine of 21, including six of 12 from three to finish with 28 points, and he paced the Warriors when Steph was off.

Player of the Game: Steph Curry. The big moments are what defines a great player and an MVP talent. Curry lived up to the hype last night. The Chef was cooking when the kitchen got hot.

Dud of the Game: Has to be the Pelicans coaching staff. I don’t blame the young players as much as I do the staff for lack of adjustments down the stretch.

Stat of the Game: The Warriors made 14 threes on 41 attempts. Its not a great percentage, but it says a lot about their mentality. The Pelicans only made six on 28 attempts.

This series is all but over now. By letting this lead slip away, the young Pelicans will have a lot to think about this offseason. The top seeded Warriors will look to complete the sweep on Saturday in New Orleans at 8 pm on ESPN. In this tough Western Conference, the Warriors will take all the rest they can get. Look for Kerr and his troops to take advantage of momentum and put the final nail in the Pelican coffin.

#NBA #WarriorsPelicans