The Warriors took a 3-0 series lead on Thursday night, coming back to defeat the Pelicans 123-119 in overtime of Game 3.
GAME LEADERS
The Warriors took a 3-0 series lead on Thursday night, coming back to defeat the Pelicans 123-119 in overtime of Game 3. Trailing by 20 points at the end of the third quarter, Stephen Curry hit a game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime, where the Warriors went on to complete the comeback victory. Curry led all scorers with 40 points and nine assists, Klay Thompson notched 28 points and six rebounds, and Draymond Green recorded a double-double with 12 points and 17 rebounds.
The Warriors couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game, as the Splash Brothers got things rolling with some prolific long-range shooting in the opening minutes. Stephen Curry made his first two three-pointers while Klay Thompson made his first three treys as well to help stake the Dubs a 17-9 lead with 7:44 left in the first quarter. The Warriors’ fortunes changed, however, when Draymond Green picked up his second personal foul 75 seconds later. Once Green was removed from the game, Anthony Davis and the Pelicans saw their offense start to click, as New Orleans went on a 17-8 run after Green’s departure. The Pelicans would score the final six points of the opening frame, and take a 26-25 lead into the second quarter.
New Orleans picked up right where they left off to open the second quarter, scoring the frame’s first nine points to prompt a Warriors’ timeout. The Pelicans would score four more points after play resumed, completing a 19-0 New Orleans’ run to give the Pelicans a 39-25 lead with 9:26 left in the quarter. A Draymond Green dunk got the Warriors’ offense back on track, but Ryan Anderson made sure the Pelicans hadn’t fought for that lead for nothing. He scored the next four baskets for New Orleans to give them a 48-36 advantage with 6:02 remaining. After two Stephen Curry free throws, the Pelicans would score the next three baskets to take their largest lead of the game up to that point, up 54-38 with 4:13 left in the half. The two sides traded baskets for the most part for the duration of the quarter, until an Andrew Bogut tip-in with 1.7 seconds left sent the teams into halftime with the Pelicans holding a 63-52 advantage.