The Warriors needed a bounce back game in Game 4 against the Pelicans and that’s exactly what they got. The Pelicans forced the Warriors to start a new lineup they had never started in a game. It’s a lineup that Twitter refers to as the “death lineup” but we learned today that the Warriors refer to themselves at the “Hampton 5”. It’s the lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. It’s a lineup that the Warriors have used many times in games. Today was the first time we ever saw them as starting unit.
The lineup had a 15-point lead at the end of the first quarter and never really looked back. Kevin Durant finished the day with 38 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Stephen Curry had a cool 23 points of his own and gave him a chance to continue to get his conditioning back after returning from injury.
Anthony Davis finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds and generally played a great game but there isn’t much anyone can do when the Warriors are cooking like that.
Golden State is starting their “death lineup” for the first time ever. It’s a lineup they often use in games but never as a starting unit. It’s Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green. And they just went on a 10-0 run in 1:19.
The New Orleans Pelicans found life in Game 3, crushing the Golden State Warriors, 119-108, to bring the series back to 3-1. Anthony Davis was his MVP-caliber self again, and the rest of his supporting cast stepped up huge in the blowout.
Davis scored 33 points on 27 shots, and added 18 rebounds and three assists. The Brow is proving to be tough for even the Warriors to stop. Davis thrived off the play of a reborn Rajon Rondo, who dished 21 assists on Friday night. Jrue Holiday chipped in 21 points, Nikola Mirotic had 16 and E’Twaun Moore delivered 13. This was a true group effort.
Most concerning for Golden State fans was the play of Stephen Curry, just a week since returning from a Grade 2 MCL sprain. He scored 19 points on as many shots, firing 32 percent from the field. It may just have been an off night, but his poor shooting is something to monitor in Game 4.
Aside from Curry, the rest of the Warriors’ core struggled too. Klay Thompson’s 26 points came on 9-of-22 shooting, and Kevin Durant scored just 22 on 8-of-18 shooting. The team shot 29 percent from three as a whole.
Can The Brow’s group make this series one to watch? Or was Game 3 just a fluke?