Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Golden State Warriors completed a four-game sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday at the Smoothie King Center, winning the series clincher 109-98. The NBA's official Twitter account posted the results:
Stephen Curry started the game on fire and never cooled down. He scored 14 of his 39 points in the first quarter, setting the tone for the Warriors early. He would go on to finish the game 11-of-20 from the field, with nine assists and eight rebounds.
Anthony Davis did his best to counter Curry's performance, scoring 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking three shots.
He simply didn't get enough help, as the rest of the Pelicans shot 41.3 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from three-point range.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry: A+
The Golden State Warriors highlighted Curry's interview with Comcast SportsNet:
With a chance to put the series on ice, Curry was locked in from the opening tip, knocking down jump shots from all over the floor and setting his teammates up off some ridiculous passes. This post from the NBA's official Twitter account illustrated the Association was impressed by Curry's performance:
He also looked more aggressive than usual on the boards, even grabbing a couple on the offensive end over much bigger players.
Klay Thompson: A
Curry's Splash Brother in crime, Klay Thompson, had a very efficient night as well. He scored 25 points on 10-of-19 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range.
As he's done for the Warriors all season, Thompson bailed out a couple of bad possessions by hitting threes from three or four feet behind the line. He also showed his ever-advancing dribble drive game on a few shots, including a stop-on-a-dime drive that shook both Davis and Omer Asik. ESPN's Ethan Strauss noted Thompson's scoring prowess:
On the other end, Thompson did a masterful job of defending Tyreke Evans, keeping him out of the paint on pick-and-rolls and forcing several tough shots.
Much like Curry, Draymond Green came out with guns blazing. He scored 13 of his 22 points in the first quarter, hitting threes and beating his man on the drive and offensive boards.
For the rest of the game, Green went to his Swiss army knife game, attacking the boards on the way to 10 rebounds and setting up teammates for eight assists.
Defensively, he wasn't quite as disruptive as he's been in other games this series, but he certainly wasn't a liability on that end while defending Davis and Ryan Anderson.
Andrew Bogut: C+
Andrew Bogut only played 22 minutes, as Warriors coach Steve Kerr spent much of the game countering the Pelicans' small-ball lineups.
The big man was still solid in his limited minutes, though. When he was matched up with Asik, Bogut simply played center field, roaming around the rim and cleaning up messes. Jesse Blanchard provided observations regarding Bogut's on-court performance:
He finished the game with three rebounds, three blocks and two points.
Harrison Barnes: B-
Harrison Barnes wasn't called upon for much scoring, but he still made an impact by crashing the glass and defending Quincy Pondexter to the point he was almost nonexistent.
He finished with eight rebounds and six points on 3-of-7 shooting.
Rest of Team: C
The Warriors didn't get much production from the bench, as the Pelicans kept the game close enough to warrant Golden State finishing the game with its starting five. The entire second unit scored 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting.
Andre Iguodala led the reserves with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting to go with two rebounds and two assists. Shaun Livingston added three assists.
New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis: A+
Well, you certainly can't blame Davis for the Pelicans sweep. After another monster performance, he finished his first postseason with averages of 31.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and three blocks.
He was impossible to defend, even for Green, who's typically able to slow down any matchup. Whether in the pick-and-pop or isolations, Davis was drilling mid-range shots and beating all comers off the dribble.
This is probably the most obvious thing I've written about this series, but I'll say it anyway: Pelicans fans have plenty to look forward to.
Tyreke Evans: D-
In a game in which New Orleans needed one more big performance from one of its stars, Evans was never able to find any rhythm.
He finished with five rebounds, five assists and four points on 2-of-10 shooting. Again, credit to Thompson and the rest of the Warriors for a stellar defensive performance.
Eric Gordon: A
After scoring just six points on 2-of-10 shooting in Game 3, Eric Gordon had a fantastic bounce-back game that encapsulated a great bounce-back season.
He scored 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting and tied Evans for the team lead in assists with five. Strauss detailed Gordon's on-court performance:
Ryan Anderson: C-
For a brief moment in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Anderson heroics of Game 3 were going to resurface for a desperation comeback. Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com shared highlights, which echoed that sentiment:
Unfortunately, Anderson's hot shooting only lasted for a couple minutes in Game 4, as opposed to the entire game on Thursday.
He finished with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, six rebounds and four assists.
Rest of Team: D
New Orleans' other two starters, Asik and Pondexter, combined to score three points on 1-of-6 shooting. Neither was able to make any positive impact. Nola.com's John Reid pointed out Asik's minimal contribution:
As for the rest of the bench, Dante Cunningham was about it. He scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting. His point guard, Norris Cole, went 0-of-5 from the field.
Coming Up Next
The Warriors now await the winner of the series between the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers. With Memphis currently up 3-0, Golden State is likely preparing for that matchup already.
As for the Pelicans, it's time to shift the focus to the draft and free agency. General manager Dell Demps may look to make some moves that would give New Orleans a roster that better complements Davis.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
