“We feel like that the identity of our team is our defense and our versatility at that end,” Head Coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought Draymond was just fantastic. Bogut fantastic, and the defense carried the day.”

The Warriors needed that defensive effort after they got off to such a sluggish start. The Dubs trailed by as many as 13 points in the first quarter after a 14-0 Pelicans run immediately followed an Andrew Bogut fast break dunk sent the already crazed Oracle Arena crowd into an absolute frenzy. The Dubs would shoot just 31.8 percent in the first quarter, and combined with the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Game 1 victory, the Dubs offense had totaled 39 points on 11 of 38 shooting (28.9 percent) over two consecutive quarters in the series.

Thankfully, the bench provided a much needed spark. Marreese Speights hit a pair of jumpers from the top of the key and Leandro Barbosa provided some crucial scoring. The veteran guard had 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, equaling the point total from the entire reserve unit on Saturday. After the Warriors reserves cut the deficit down to seven, the Splash Brothers maintained the momentum, combining for 12 points during a 17-5 run over the final 3:50 of the second quarter.

Stephen Curry tallied 22 points and six assists in the win, which marked the Warriors’ 20th straight home victory (regular season and playoffs combined). The Dubs, now 42-0 this season when holding their opponents to less than 100 points, will look to keep the momentum rolling when the series picks back up on Thursday in New Orleans.