Anthony Davis, Pelicans Blow out Stephen Curry, Warriors at Home in Game 3

Returning home got the New Orleans Pelicans back on track with a dominant 119-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Friday night. 

Anthony Davis led New Orleans' offensive attack with a double-double consisting of 33 points and 18 rebounds. 

Following his strong return to the lineup in Game 2, Stephen Curry showed some rust in this loss. He finished with 19 points on just 6-of-19 shooting and had more turnovers (three) than assists (two). 

The Pelicans were in must-win territory after dropping the first two games in this series at Oracle Arena. They had lost five of six games against the defending NBA champions, including the regular season, and were swept out of the playoffs by Golden State three years ago. 

New Orleans' win is the swing in momentum it needed heading into Game 4 at the Smoothie King Center on Sunday. 

The Pelicans took control early, jumping out to a 15-point lead in the second quarter. They were on fire from three-point range, hitting 10 of their 16 attempts behind the arc. 

Picking up right where they left off in each of the first two games, Rajon Rondo and Draymond Green were antagonizing each other less than five minutes into the opening quarter:

It was apparent that Golden State's offense was out of sorts. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson combined for 33 of their 56 first-half points, but the team shot just 43.8 percent overall. Durant and Thompson had just 15 points in the second half. 

Thompson was doing his best to keep the Warriors close with 20 points in the second quarter alone. 

Despite the Warriors' first-half struggles, they were only down six at intermission. SB Nation's Oleh Kosel felt as if doom could be descending on New Orleans:

Rather than fold, the Pelicans responded by outscoring the Warriors, 30-19, in the third quarter to open up a 17-point advantage. They also stole the Warriors' formula with 36 assists on 48 made field goals to win the game. 

Offensive balance was huge for New Orleans in the win. The trio of Davis, Nikola Mirotic and Jrue Holiday led the way with 70 combined points. Ian Clark scored 18 in 22 minutes off the bench. 

Davis, in particular, continues to find new ways to dazzle in the playoffs:

Per The Athletic's Clevis Murray, Rondo did something that no one has done in a playoff game in seven years:

One notable disparity in this series has come at the free-throw line. The Warriors have 98 attempts from the charity stripe, compared to just 32 for the Pelicans. It didn't hurt New Orleans in this game, but it's something head coach Alvin Gentry will have to be mindful of as the series continues. 

Per The Athletic's Anthony Slater, the Warriors are in uncharted territory after such dominance in the playoffs over the past two seasons:

Based on Thompson's reaction from the bench, the Warriors don't seem too concerned about "only" having a 2-1 series lead:

There are reasons for Golden State to be optimistic, despite Friday's setback. It seems inconceivable this team will shoot 38 percent and go 9-of-31 from the three-point line again. 

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will have to tighten up his defense, which has allowed the Pelicans to increase their scoring output in every game this series. 

This is a Golden State team that has been vulnerable at various points this year, including a rough 7-10 stretch to end the regular season. 

The Pelicans needed to make a statement on their home court, and they didn't disappoint. Their next test will be to turn around in 48 hours with the same intensity and efficiency to even things up at two games apiece.