The Warriors became the first team in NBA history to overcome two separate 20-point halftime deficits in a single season after outscoring the Pelicans by 29 points in the second half on their way to a 125-115 comeback road victory on Monday. Golden State trailed by as many as 21 just prior to halftime, but opened the third quarter on a 15-0 run and never looked back. Stephen Curry posted a double-double and led the Warriors with 31 points and 11 assists. Klay Thompson accounted for 22 points and four three-pointers, while Kevin Durant and Draymond Green added 19 points apiece. With the win, Golden State improves to 19-6 on the season and 4-0 on their current, season-long six-game road trip.
TEAM LEADERS
DÉJÀ VU
If ‘Warriors mount 20-point comeback’ sounds familiar, that’s because the last instance occurred just over two weeks ago when Golden State trailed by 22 at halftime against the 76ers before surging to a 124-116 victory. The Warriors are now 2-0 when trailing by at least 20 points at halftime this season, after winning just two of their previous 152 such games. What’s crazier? Golden State still has 57 games remaining in the regular season.
FIRST HALF STRUGGLES
In order to complete the comeback, the Dubs first had to dig themselves a significant hole. New Orleans utilized a 16-5 run late in the first quarter to take a 13-point lead, but Curry then rattled off six-straight to pull Golden State within seven. The Warriors carried that momentum into the second quarter, opening it on an 11-3 burst to take a 37-36 advantage on Patrick McCaw’s three-pointer at the 10:01 mark. However, after DeMarcus Cousins picked up his third foul and went to the bench with 5:30 remaining, the Pelicans opened up a huge lead with a 25-6 run to close the half. That would prove to be a trend in the contest, as Cousins ultimately finished with a negative-32 plus-minus.
ANOTHER THIRD QUARTER EXPLOSION
The Warriors came into Monday’s game having outscored their opponents by an average of 26.4 points per 100 possessions in the third quarter this season, and that number is only going to go up after another sensational Golden State performance in the third frame. Golden State opened the second half with a Durant dunk and Curry three-pointer in succession to ignite a 15-0 Warriors run that would pull the Dubs within five points less than four minutes into the third quarter. The Warriors never surmounted the deficit entirely in the third quarter, but did enough damage to close within 91-88 heading into the fourth. In total, the Dubs outscored the Pelicans 39-22 in the third quarter and 78-47 in the second half.
LOW ON BODIES
In the closing minutes of the game, the Warriors began to run out of bodies. Zaza Pachulia and Shaun Livingston missed the game due to rest and suspension, respectively, while McCaw and Curry were forced from the contest after suffering injuries mid-game, and Durant was ejected late in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
Now 4-0 on their current six-game road trip, the Warriors will attempt to build on their momentum when they travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Wednesday.