Golden State’s popular playoff motto is “Strength in Numbers,” but that slogan was actually much more fitting in Game 3 on Friday for the Warriors’ opponent. New Orleans rode the usual big games of Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, but the Pelicans also benefited greatly from major contributions by the likes of ex-Warriors guard Ian Clark, late-season force Nikola Mirotic and the quietly effective E’Twaun Moore. All five players reached double digits in scoring, while reserve forward Solomon Hill provided an individual nine-point surge in the first quarter.
While sinking three straight three-pointers in a span of just 2 minutes, 44 seconds, Hill pushed a three-point lead into double digits, an edge New Orleans kept for the vast majority of the 119-100 win. The Pelicans were up 10-plus points for the final 21:26, never looking back after Holiday dropped in two free throws for a 68-58 edge early in the third quarter.
“I thought Solomon did a good job of coming in and making shots,” Alvin Gentry said of a player who’d previously gone just 2/8 in the playoffs from long distance. “They kind of not guarded him in this series and left him open. I thought he shot the ball with a lot of confidence.”
The same could be said for virtually everyone in a New Orleans uniform Friday. The Pelicans continued to play at an elite level offensively in home postseason games, shooting 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range in Game 3. Those were big jumps from 45 and 34 percent in those categories during the first two games at Oracle Arena.
In December, Rajon Rondo established a franchise regular season record by dishing out 25 assists vs. Brooklyn. On Friday, Rondo became the team’s postseason single-game record-holder as well, distributing 21 assists against Golden State. Overall, the Pelicans registered 36 assists – every member of the starting lineup had at least three – the fifth time in ’17-18 that they’ve totaled 36 or more in a game. Coincidence or not, the fourth time they accomplished that came April 7 at Golden State, in a 126-120 win.
“We shared the ball really well,” said Mirotic, who netted 16 points and 13 rebounds and also credited the attention devoted to Davis for the offense functioning so well. “Rajon did a great job. It was just great movement of the ball, playing unselfishly.”
“There were always two (Golden State defenders) guarding AD, so we need to be ready to make those shots with no hesitation."
While Hill and Mirotic traded turns in the first half giving New Orleans a boost, Clark took over in the second half, firing in 14 points on 6/9 shooting. The 2017 NBA champion with the Warriors scored eight quick points in a 2:52 span of the third quarter, helping the Pelicans go up by as many as 25 points in that period.
“He was huge for us,” said Moore, who added 13 points. “He came in and gave us a spark. Defensively he was chasing (Golden State’s guards) and he knocked down a lot of big threes. Big ups to Ian.”
After the buzzer of a nearly wire-to-wire domination of a 58-win opponent, New Orleans players and coaches were giving similar props to nearly everyone who checked into Game 3. The Pelicans know that to repeat what they did Friday over the rest of the series against Golden State, they’ll need something similar in every game.
“We need everybody,” Mirotic said. “If we want to beat them, we need everybody, especially playing good defense. Offensively, be ready, be aggressive. We need to make them guard us.”