Steph Curry’s Return Powered The Warriors To A Win Over The Pelicans In Game 2

Golden State won Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinals series over the New Orleans Pelicans by 22 points. It was a sign of dominance by the defending champs, but it stood to reason that New Orleans was going to come out firing on all cylinders in Game 2 with the hopes of making up for that loss.

The thing the Pelicans were unable to get past, though, was that the Warriors were getting their trump card back for the second game of the series. Steph Curry appeared in his first game since suffering a knee injury in March, free of the limits of a minutes restriction. In response, the two-time league MVP powered Golden State to a 121-116 victory over their foes.

Curry quite literally made his impact felt right away. With the Warriors down by eight in the first quarter, the Warriors’ talisman checked in for the first time. Golden State’s first possession with him on the floor involved letting him chuck it, and in typical Steph Curry fashion, he got nothing but net.

Several possessions later, Curry pulled up from way downtown. It was beautiful.

Curry just has a habit of doing this stuff. He is the Golden State Warriors, the team’s leader and the spark plug that makes their terrifying offense click. The team just plays with a swagger that exists when their star guard is on the floor, and it is usually an extension of himself.

Oh, and when Golden State wanted to bury the stake in the hearts of the Pelicans, you can guess who took the emphatic three that made it clear that it was their night.

In all, Curry had 28 points, seven rebounds, and three steals in 27 minutes, going 5-for-10 from behind the three-point line. He wasn’t the only Warriors who had a big night — while he wasn’t great, scoring 10 points on 20(!!!) shots, watch Klay Thompson hit this ridiculous three to close the first half.

Kevin Durant actually led the Warriors in scoring, dropping 29 points with seven assists, six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Draymond Green pitched in 20 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds. Green was especially fun, as he did all the provocative stuff that has come to be his calling card in addition to his stat sheet stuffing. There was some chippiness in the first half, which featured moments like the buzzer sounding to end the frame and Green chirping with Rajon Rondo a bit.

There was also a moment in the third quarter where Green and Anthony Davis got tangled up with one another. Davis didn’t look like he did anything wrong, but a double foul was called, anyway.

Davis, to his credit, was outstanding, as he usually is when the Pelicans take the floor. His 25 points led New Orleans, and he chipped in 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals. Plus he threw down this dunk in the first half that still makes me laugh.

Jrue Holiday and Rondo were both great. Holiday had 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, while Rondo went for 22 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, and five steals. Nikola Mirotic just missed a double-double, scoring 18 points and pulling down nine rebounds.

As it looked like Golden State had things wrapped up towards the end, the Pelicans rallied, ripping off a 7-0 run late to cut into the Warriors’ lead. It never quite felt like the home team would lose, but New Orleans just kept fighting down the stretch. It also kept the game from looking like a comfortable Warriors win, which it was not, as they had to really work for this one.

The good news for the Pelicans is the series now shifts back to New Orleans for Game 3 and Game 4, and as the old adage goes, the series doesn’t start until the home team loses. But as this game showed, the dynamics of the series are different now that Curry is back, and the Pelicans’ margin for error as things head to Louisiana are slim-to-none.