The Western Conference semifinal rolls on in the Big Easy. The second-seeded Golden State Warriors are on the road looking to take a commanding edge in their series with the sixth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans in Game 4 of their best of seven series Sunday afternoon. Golden State took the first two games of the series, winning 123-101 at home in Game 1 Saturday and Game 2 by a 121-116 count at home Tuesday night. New Orleans rebounded by taking a dominant 119-100 win at home in Game 3 Friday night. The Warriors lead the all-time regular season series 34-20 and took the regular season series 3-1 though New Orleans won the last meeting 126-120 here on April 7. Golden State swept the only previous playoff series between the teams, giving them a 6-1 advantage in head to head playoff victories.
Golden State Warriors Seek to Bounce Back, Take 3-1 Series Lead
Golden State managed to hang in and run at New Orleans’ pace in the first two games of the series at home as they took a 2-0 series advantage. In Game 3 on the road, however, the Warriors didn’t seem to have the same oomph as the Pelicans led most of the way and pulled away in the second half after Golden State made a run. The big thing for Golden State will be one of two things: either they can control the tempo and slow New Orleans’ frenetic pace down a bit or they’re going to have to shoot the ball better while getting some help from their bench group.
The Warriors are shooting 46.5 percent from the field in the postseason as a team this year. Golden State is converting 10 three pointers a game despite shooting only 33.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Warriors have been good at the charity stripe, cashing in 81.3 percent of their chances so far. In Game 3, Golden State shot just 38 percent from the field and converted only nine of 31 three point attempts. The Warriors hit 21 of 26 free throws, held a 24-16 edge in fast break points and had 23 points off turnovers but came up on the short end. Klay Thompson led Golden State with 26 points but scored just six in the second half. Kevin Durant put up 22 points while Stephen Curry had 19 but shot only six of 19 from the floor. Draymond Green had 11 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists but turned the ball over seven times. The Warriors made a switch, moving JaVale McGee back into the starting lineup in place of Andre Iguodala. The bench group has to be better than they were in Game 3, where they scored just 20 points with eight of those coming in garbage time by four players who each played five minutes.
New Orleans Pelicans Look to Square Series
New Orleans ran up and down the floor in the first two games of the series but couldn’t come up with the win in either of those contests. The Pelicans returned home and reasserted their physical play down in the low block to earn the win in Game 3. New Orleans now tries to even the series between the teams with a win here. Look for the Pelicans to continue to flex their muscles and push Golden State in the paint again in Game 4. Can Alvin Gentry push the right buttons once again and force Steve Kerr to adjust his rotation to try and keep up with New Orleans?
The Pelicans are shooting the ball well in the postseason as they are hitting 49.5 percent from the field as a team. New Orleans is hitting 10.7 three pointers a game while shooting 38.9 percent from three point range in the playoffs. The Pelicans are hitting 78.2 percent at the line as a team so far. In Game 3, New Orleans shot an even 50 percent from the floor and went 14 of 31 from beyond the arc while converting nine of 12 free throw attempts. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 33 points, 18 rebounds, three assists and four steals in the win. Jrue Holiday contributed 21 points, seven rebounds plus five assists while Ian Clark came off the bench to score 18. Nikola MIrotic added 16 points plus 13 boards and E’Twaun Moore had 13 points in the win. Rajon Rondo struggled as he shot just two for 11 from the field, finishing with four points plus seven rebounds but he dished out 21 assists in the win.
Trends:
Golden State
- Warriors are 3-12 ATS in their last 15 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
- Warriors are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games playing on 1 day of rest
- Warriors are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600
New Orleans
- Pelicans are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games
- Pelicans are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points
- Pelicans are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
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