NBA Playoffs 2015: Latest Scores and Top Stats for Round 1 Bracket Matchups
Stephen Curry is amazing.
By now, we should know that, but with every remarkable performance, he drives the point home even more. On Thursday night in New Orleans, he helped his Golden State Warriors push the New Orleans Pelicans to the brink of elimination. Curry's 40 points and nine assists were the driving force in the Warriors' come-from-behind 123-119 overtime win.
The Pelicans had a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter before collapsing and allowing the Warriors to push the game into overtime. Curry hit a miracle shot from the baseline after an offensive rebound by Marreese Speights. Tyreke Evans was plastered all over Curry, but he still found a way to sink the desperation three.
In case you missed it, here's a look at the shot from the NBA's official Twitter account:
In the overtime period, Curry made another three and four huge free throws to finish off the improbable and impressive win. The Pels' Anthony Davis had 29 points and 15 rebounds in a losing effort. He missed a crucial free throw at the end of regulation that set the table for Curry's game-tying shot.
Davis also failed to convert with just under 10 seconds left in the extra session. On Saturday, Golden State will go for the sweep. Here's the other scores from Thursday's action:
| Cleveland Cavaliers 103, Boston Celtics 95 | Cleveland leads 3-0 |
| Chicago Bulls 113, Milwaukee Bucks 106 (2 OT) | Chicago leads 3-0 |
| Golden State Warriors 123, New Orleans Pelicans 119 (OT) | Golden State leads 3-0 |
More Overtimes
The Chicago Bulls came storming back from their own big deficit to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Chicago won a double-overtime thriller 113-106 Thursday in Milwaukee.
The Bucks spurted out to an 18-point lead in the second quarter, but the Bulls would reel them back in before the period ended.
Behind Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, Chicago was down just four points at the intermission.
In the second half, the Bulls took control and opened up their own 11-point lead. They let up down the stretch, and the Bucks forced overtime behind eight late points by Khris Middleton. He finished with 18 points in the game, while Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 25 points.
One overtime wasn't enough as both teams squandered opportunities to take control. In the second extra session, Rose played as well as he has since his MVP season in 2010-11. Overall, he had a game-high 34 points to go with five rebounds and eight assists. Butler added 24 points and Pau Gasol had a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Rose talked about his big performance after the game with TNT's Allie LaForce:
In the series, Rose and Butler have combined to average 50.6 points per contest. This is the backcourt Bulls fans have been waiting on for the last five years. If Rose stays healthy and the Bulls get rookie and super-sub Nikola Mirotic back for the second round, this is going to be a dangerous team for anyone to face.
Too Much LeBron
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't need an extra period to grab a 3-0 series lead over the Boston Celtics. James' 31 points and 11 rebounds stoked the Cavs to a 103-95 win in Beantown.
The story has remained the same in all three games of this series. Cleveland's starters are dominating Boston's. In Game 3, Cleveland's first five outscored the Celtics' starters 87-58. That pushes the tally to 250-143 in the series in this category.
Obviously, the Celtics are built to get a ton of production from their bench, but with the starters getting blown away, it puts too much pressure on the reserves. Prepare for the sweep Sunday afternoon.
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