Stephen Curry, Warriors Beat Anthony Davis, Pelicans; Advance to WCF vs. Rockets
The Golden State Warriors finished off the New Orleans Pelicans with a 113-104 Game 5 victory at Oracle Arena on Tuesday night to set up a titanic Western Conference Finals showdown with the Houston Rockets.
In true Warriors fashion, a four-pronged scoring blitz captained by Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green helped the defending champions clinch their fourth straight trip to the conference finals.
Durant logged 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting, Thompson added 23—including 19 in the first half—and Green tallied 19 points, 14 boards and nine assists, falling one dime shy of his second triple-double of the series.
Curry, meanwhile, spearheaded the Warriors' 25-4 run to open the third quarter and dropped 13 of his team-high 28 points in the period before he was subbed out for a short breather.
Golden State finished the frame with a 36-19 edge in the scoring column, which effectively spelled the end of New Orleans' season.
Still, the Pelicans can hold their heads high even though summer vacation arrived earlier than they would have liked.
For starters, Anthony Davis (34 points, 19 rebounds, four blocks) played like a man possessed through nine postseason appearances and looked the part of a title-caliber centerpiece. That was especially evident in the fourth quarter, when he refused to lay down and led an 18-2 Pelicans charge to whittle the Warriors' lead to seven with 2:04 remaining in regulation after it appeared as though hope had evaporated.
While that furious rally ultimately fell short, Davis made one final statement, as Yahoo Sports' Michael Lee noted:
Like Davis, Jrue Holiday raised his profile with huge outings galore in the playoff spotlight. That was true once again in Game 5, when the Pelicans point guard posted 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to record his first postseason triple-double.
Those combined efforts weren't enough to help New Orleans overcome 14 turnovers that resulted in 24 Warriors points, but Davis and Holiday proved all series long that they're capable of making life difficult for the Western Conference's elite.
Now, the Pelicans will head for the offseason with questions abound regarding DeMarcus Cousins' future with the club as he prepares to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time.
The Warriors, on the other hand, will be off until Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals tips off at Toyota Center on Monday.
