Warriors Win Game 2 vs. Anthony Davis, Pelicans in Stephen Curry's Return

Tempers ran hot Tuesday night at Oracle Arena, and so did Stephen Curry's jump shot.

In his first appearance since he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain March 23, Curry came off the bench to score 28 points and propel the Golden State Warriors to a 121-116 Game 2 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Curry shot 8-of-15 from the field, including 5-of-10 from three, and it's safe to say the Warriors would have been in trouble without such a strong showing.

Curry Highlights in His Return vs the Pelicans

In Curry's 28 minutes off the bench, the defending champions outscored the Pelicans by a team-best 26 points. By comparison, the Warriors' starting five posted a cumulative plus-minus of minus-17.

It was hardly all bad for the Dubs' top unit, however.

Draymond Green nearly rattled off his second straight triple-double with 20 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, and he continued to operate as a metronomic two-way presence to help the Dubs improve to 5-0 at home in the playoffs.

Green also played the role of enforcer and tone-setter when he engaged in a brief dustup with Pelicans point guard Rajon Rondo before halftime:

Draymond and Rondo Go at It

"Draymond's just been phenomenal all playoffs," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the game, according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater. "He was saving himself."

And then there was Kevin Durant.

Though the 2017 Finals MVP was uncharacteristically quiet with 14 points through the first three quarters, he turned it on late and burned the Pelicans for 15 in the final frame to finish with a game high.

That flip-the-switch ability sent the Pelicans back to New Orleans facing a 2-0 deficit, and it highlighted the stark differences between the two sides.

While the Pelicans put up a valiant fight behind quality efforts from Anthony Davis (25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists), Jrue Holiday (24 points, eight rebounds, eight assists), Rajon Rondo (22 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, five steals) and Nikola Mirotic (18 points, nine rebounds), it was clear they weren't equipped with the raw firepower to make the Warriors sweat in crunch time.

Anthony Davis Game 2 Highlights

Rather, New Orleans lingered within striking distance but never threatened. As a result, its hopes were dashed for good when Curry re-entered with 6:59 remaining in the fourth quarter and the finish line in sight.

The Pelicans, now in a precarious position, will try to avoid falling into an insurmountable hole when Game 3 tips off Friday night at Smoothie King Center, while the Warriors will try to improve to 19-1 against Western Conference playoff competition since Durant joined the fray.