PREVIEW: NBA Playoffs Round 1 Game 3: Warriors (2-0) At New Orleans Pelicans (0-2)

Golden State Warriors (2-0) at New Orleans Pelicans (0-2)

Tip-off: Thursday, April 23rd, 2015 – 6:30PM PDT

Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA

TV: CSN Bay Area & TNT | Radio: KNBR 680 AM

Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors #LetsGoWarriorsLive

Projected Starting Lineups:

Warriors

Career Playoff Averages

PG: Stephen Curry (23.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 8.0 APG)

SG: Klay Thompson (16.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.5 APG)

SF: Harrison Barnes (12.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.3 APG)

PF: Draymond Green (8.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.4 APG)

C: Andrew Bogut (7.7 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.4 APG)

Head Coach: Steve Kerr (2-0, 1.000)

Pelicans

Career Playoff Averages

PG: Eric Gordon (19.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.5 APG)

SG: Tyreke Evans (8.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.5 APG)

SF: Quincy Pondexter (7.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.9 APG)

PF: Anthony Davis (30.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.0 APG)

C: Omer Asik (4.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.5 APG)

Head Coach: Monty Williams (2-6, .250)

Series Game Recaps/Schedule

LAST WARRIORS-PELICANS GAME IN NEW ORLEANS: On 4/7/2015, the Pelicans defeated the Warriors, 103-100, as a Golden State rally fell short against a New Orleans team looking to secure the 8th and final seed in the Western Conference Playoffs race.

GAME ONE: On Saturday, 4/18/2015, the Warriors defeated the Pelicans, 106-99. Golden State led by as many as 25 points, but a total of 13 missed free throws and 35 points from Davis helped New Orleans come back, although the rally fell short as Curry scored 34 points but shot just 4-for-13 from downtown.

GAME TWO On Monday, 4/20/2015, the Warriors defeated the Pelicans, 97-87, holding New Orleans to just 9 second-half made field goals.

GAME FOUR is scheduled for Saturday, 4/25/2015, in New Orleans, LA.

GAME FIVE, if necessary, is scheduled for Tuesday, 4/28/2015, in Oakland, CA.

GAME SIX, if necessary, is scheduled for Friday, 5/1/2015, in New Orleans, LA.

GAME SEVEN, if necessary, is scheduled for Sunday, 5/3/2015, in Oakland, CA.

Game Notes

• “David Lee out tonight” — Diamond Leung, Bay Area News Group

• “Steve Kerr said David Lee (back) is progessing and will play three-on-three at tomorrow’s practice. He’s out tonight for Game 3.” — Rusty Simmons, San Francisco Chronicle

• “Marreese Speights on the Pelicans: ‘They keep talking about the game they won, but that game wasn’t really an important game to us.'” — Leung

• “The Pelicans are 12-6 at home in playoff history, 3-17 on the road, the biggest difference among active franchises…Anthony Davis has 61 points in first 2 games, 20 of which comig in the 4th quarter of Game1. He also has pulled down 17 boards and 6 blocks” — Tim Roye, Warriors radio broadcaster

• “‘We were a great road team this year,’ Kerr told CSNBayArea.com. ‘We seem to step up to the challenge. We seem to embrace the adversity and the opposing crowd. Some of that has to do with Steph’s bravado.’
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  The Warriors were 28-13 on the road this season, after going 24-17 away from Oracle last season. Just as they draw energy from their home crowds, they also find ways to bond in enemy territory.” — Monte Poole, CSN Bay Area

New Orleans made sure to have its "Play On NOLA" shirts on display while the Warriors practiced. pic.twitter.com/kMzHX1BSZN

— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) April 23, 2015

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