The Warriors completed a 4-0 series sweep of the Pelicans with a 109-98 win in Game 4 on Saturday night.
GAME LEADERS
The Warriors completed the four-game series sweep of the Pelicans with a 109-98 win in Game 4 in New Orleans on Saturday night. Stephen Curry led all scorers with 39 points to go with nine assists and eight rebounds, Klay Thompson added 25 points and Draymond Green just missed a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Facing elimination, the Pelicans fed off their urgency to the tune of a 9-5 run to open the game. Curry and Green paced the play for Golden State, scoring the teams’ first 15 points; the duo combined to either score or assist on all but two of the Warriors’ baskets in the opening quarter. An Anthony Davis three-point play gave the Pelicans a 22-21 lead with 3:31 remaining in the first frame. They didn’t know it at the time, but that would be the Pelicans’ final lead for the 2014-15 season. Andre Iguodala responded with a dunk to reclaim the lead and begin a 10-2 run for Golden State, as the Dubs finished the first quarter holding a 31-24 advantage. Curry (14 points) and Green (13 points) combined to outscore the entire Pelicans team in the opening quarter.
The Warriors bench carried the load for Golden State to start the 2nd quarter, scoring eight of the teams’ first 10 points. Then, the Warriors big three took over – Curry, Green and Klay Thompson combined to score all of the Warriors’ 26 points for the rest of the half. Thompson was particularly effective on his way to 13 points in the quarter, including 10-straight for the Warriors over a span of two minutes and 12 seconds. Meanwhile, Eric Gordon kept the Pelicans afloat with 11 consecutive points for New Orleans to keep them within 10 points of the Warriors. Curry would then hit his fourth three-pointer of the opening half with 7.5 seconds left and send the teams into halftime with the Warriors holding a 67-54 lead.