Klay Thompson had the hot hand and the Warriors picked up their first win of the season with a 128-120 triumph in New Orleans on Friday. Thompson helped the Dubs overcome a slow start, as a combination of turnovers and red-hot Pelicans shooting left the Dubs in a 15-point hole early. But the Dubs recovered and took control of the game with a 30-7 run that bridged the second and third quarters.
GAME LEADERS
Klay Thompson Was Everywhere
In addition to knocking down 12 of his 19 shot attempts, including 7-for-12 on 3-pointers, Thompson was part of several game-defining sequences. In the third quarter, he blocked a Jrue Holiday 3-point attempt, recovered the ball and finished the fast break with a dunk. That play gave the Dubs an eight-point advantage during a 13-2 run to open the quarter in which the team took the lead that they’d never relinquish. The play forced New Orleans to call a timeout, and Thompson returned to the bench with his arms held high in triumph.
Turns out that Thompson was just getting started. In the fourth quarter with New Orleans threatening a comeback, Thompson, who had scored eight straight points for the Dubs, passed up a 3-point look to find a wide open Stephen Curry in the corner. Curry splashed it home, pushing the Dubs' lead back up to eight with just over a minute left in the game.
KD The Shot Blocker
Kevin Durant tallied seven blocks in the game, setting a new career-high.
Dubs Down New Orleans, Again
With the win, the Dubs have now won eight straight against New Orleans and 18 of their last 19 against the Pelicans. If you include the four-game sweep in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs, that’s 12 straight Dubs victories over New Orleans and 22 of the last 23.
Passing a Legend
One of three Warriors with more than 20 points, Stephen Curry passed Tim Hardaway (3,926) for second place on the franchise’s all-time assists list when he found Thompson for a 3-pointer with 8:03 left in the third quarter. Curry finished with nine assists in the game and now has 3,929 helpers for his career.
Up Next
Now 1-1 on the season, the Warriors play the back end of a back-to-back on Saturday in Memphis in the second game of this three-game road trip.