This is a continuation of the halftime recap of Game 3 of the Golden State Warriors at the New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans took a 63-52 lead into the third quarter.
3RD QUARTER: Pelicans’ Interior Defense Neutralizes Speights
The Warriors did their best to chip away at the lead at the outset, with Klay Thompson trickling in a three-pointer as it hit rim, board, and rim before going down, but Anthony Davis went to work again.
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After Stephen Curry had a dribble go off Davis’ foot — Curry complained for a reach-in foul to the referee — Davis got a jumper over the outstretched arm of Andrew Bogut for a jumper, then swished another one, then got a switch against Klay and spun and drew a shooting foul.
Davis was doing it on the defensive end as well, disrupting a drive by Curry as Steph headed into the forest with Omer Asik lurking as well. It was a costly miss that Curry often can convert, as Draymond Green fouled Asik on the rebound, picking up his fourth personal foul in the process.
With 5:41 to go in the third frame, Green took a seat and New Orleans sported a 74-58 lead.
Thompson then made a bad turnover, wheeling on a weave play and passing the ball directly to Asik, who got the ball to Tyreke Evans, who converted the early offense trey to take a 77-58 lead as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called timeout with 5:19 left.
The Pelicans’ bench had scored 31 points, 29 of them by the combination of Ryan Anderson and Norris Cole.
Thompson got an and-one out of the timeout as he posted up Eric Gordon on the left high post, drilling the turnaround as Anderson, guarding someone else nearby, stuck his hand in for the contact.
Then after Evans charged into Marreese Speights, Andre Iguodala missed a trey from the right side, but Harrison Barnes got the offensive rebound on the opposite side and found Curry from the deep left wing for a three-pointer to cut the Pelicans’ lead to 77-64 with 4:01 to play in the quarter.
Steph added a pull-up step back trey with Quincy Pondexter all over him, to cut the lead to 79-67 with 3:03 to go, but Dante Cunningham blocked a two-handed dunk attempt by Marreese Speights down the lane, which then went off Speights.
The Warriors couldn’t crack the Pelicans’ 15-ish-point lead, even as a Steph lefty sling pass from an offensive rebound of a deep right trey attempt by Iguodala went too hard, found Iguodala under the hoop for an impressive bucket.
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In fact, New Orleans stretched their lead to 89-69 at the end of the quarter, as Jrue Holiday drained a long two with 1:01 remaining, and Speights was victimized once again at the rim, getting a putback of Leandro Barbosa‘s layup blocked by Davis, with the Pelicans using a post-up by Anderson to find Cunningham for a backdoor bucket.
Curry missed a pull up three, short, from the elbow as the buzzer sounded. The Pelicans ended the quarter on a 10-0 run in the final 2:49.
4TH QUARTER: Chip Away, Chip Away
The Warriors got the Pelicans’ lead down to 15 points as Davis took a rest on the bench, with Barnes slamming home a missed Green layup to make it 97-82, New Orleans, with 6:59 to go.
Up until that time, Anderson was keeping Golden State at bay, getting a catch-and-shoot from a baseline inbound over Iguodala, then spinning on that same left baseline and getting a jumper over Iguodala again.
Even after Barnes’ putback, Anderson wasn’t done, getting a step-back from his new cozy home, the left baseline, over Green, staring at the Warriors’ bench. Then Anderson did it a fourth time from that area, again over Green, and this time clearly yelling at the Golden State bench.
Livingston was playing well, too, getting a jumper earlier as well as a two-handed putback slam of his own layup miss as the Dubs closed out with their small lineup, then getting a runner to fall to cut the deficit to 13, after Norris Cole scored a run-out dunk as Curry’s three-pointer from the right elbow rimmed out too hard right into the streaking Cole’s hands.
With under five minutes to play, the Warriors began chipping away at the Pelicans’ lead.
Green then deflected a pass from Cole to Davis on the high post and Curry drew two foul shots as Cole gave contact on the resultant fastbreak layup, although Steph only made one of two.
Thompson drew a foul on a scoop against Pondexter, made both free throws, then Davis was short on a jumper, Draymond got the rebound, pushed it up to Curry upcourt. Steph launched a three from the left wing, but Barnes grabbed the miss and slammed the two-handed putback in.
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New Orleans’ lead was cut to 103-95 with 3:33 remaining and Pelicans head coach Monty Williams called a timeout.
Out of the timeout, Evans attacked with Klay draped all over him and missed a scoop, but Davis answered with a his own two-hand putback jam as Green had committed to the help on Tyreke.
Thompson then drove into the lane against Anderson, spun, faded, and the shot tickled the rim and backboard and dropped.
On the next sequence, switched at the top against Thompson, Davis drove in, missed, but got his own rebound at the rim. However, he touched the ball while it was still in the cylinder and the ref ruled an offensive goaltending.
Curry then attacked from the right side and his push shot in traffic against Evans went too hard, an airball, but Green was there for the putback banker, cutting the lead to 105-99 with just 2:13 to go.
The Pelicans then let too much time burn on the shotclock and Holiday had to pull a three from about 30 feet from the right elbow over Livingston. The Warriors got the rebound, Steph pulled up from the right wing beyond the arc, missed, but Green got another putback, this time a righty banker from the left side.
Incredibly, Golden State had the New Orleans lead down to 105-101 with just 1:41 left to play.
Evans then got inside for another scoop over Draymond, but it went off rim and Thompson got the rebound. Klay then shot a trey from the left wing downtown, but he missed with 1:12 remaining.
However, Gordon’s missed right corner trey also went off rim and Steph rebounded it with 45.1 seconds remaining, dribbling up-court, nearly going one-on-four, about to attack the right side with all Pelicans eyes on him, as Kerr called a timeout after he crossed halfcourt.
The Warriors were on a 13-2 run over the past four minutes.
The play went to Thompson on the right side, who was covered well, went with an upfake and up-and-under that went too hard off glass and iron, but Draymond got another offensive rebound, missed the putback, and Klay corralled another possession.
The ball went up top to Curry who made a lefty sling pass to Thompson setting up on the right wing. As the defense shifted, Klay shoveled it to Barnes in the right corner. Harrison cocked a trey but it went off rim. But Livingston was there for yet another offensive rebound and got fouled as he went back up with two hands.
Livingston drained just one of the two free throws and with 20.1 seconds remaining, his second miss went off a hustling Green. It was New Orleans ball with the Pelicans up, 105-102.
Williams called timeout to advance the ball to halfcourt and, on the ensuing side inbound, Gordon found himself in the midst of a trap between Thompson and Curry, but the referee called Steph for too much contact on Gordon’s back as the reach-in occurred.
The Warriors, however, had a foul to give, so the Pelicans got the ball to Holiday, their best free throw shooter, and he was fouled by Livingston. Holiday made both free throws to put the Pelicans up, 107-102, with 17.4 seconds to play. Kerr called timeout.
The “ATO” (after-timeout play) went from Thompson on the side inbound to Green in the middle of the court. Draymond passed it back out to Curry on the perimeter, who let Holiday fly by, and calmly drained the open triple from the top of the key.
It was now 107-105, New Orleans, with 11.2 seconds left.
The Pelicans threw the ball to the deep backcourt for Davis to catch it and, after narrowly missing a deflection, Draymond had to foul Davis after a couple of dribbles. The first free throw went in and out, the second was a make, and the Warriors had their break, 108-105, a one-possession game with 9.6 seconds left.
Kerr called a 20-second timeout.
The last play went, of course, to Steph. Green waited until Curry swooped over to his sideline on the left side after going up top. Green delivered the ball to Steph who made a fake to get a three-point shot off. The shot went short, but Speights, who had subbed in for Bogut, grabbed the offensive board, dished to Curry, who was now in the deep left corner.
Evans and Davis converged as Pondexter got lost on the play after closing out on the first miss, but Steph got the shot up and it swished through as Davis crashed into Curry with 2.8 seconds remaining.
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Evans went down the floor and missed a double-clutch three-pointer off board. There was no and-one call though on Steph’s shot, much to Curry’s dismay as he discussed it with the referee.
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The game went into overtime tied, 108-108. In hindsight, Williams should have fouled up three.
OVERTIME: Finishing The Job
Steph used the momentum to take a three-point lead right away in the extra frame, after Bogut won the tip. Curry’s catch-and-shoot from the left elbow, over a lunging Anderson, gave Steph 36 points and 7 three-pointers on 17 tries.
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Bogut then drew a charge on Davis in the left post, but Curry got blocked on a left side layup by Gordon. Evans eventually drew a foul on Klay on a drive, but only made one free throw.
Barnes then made a catch-and-shoot trey assisted by Draymond and the Warriors had their separation, 114-109, approaching three minutes remaining.
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Gordon then pulled up and got a long two, with his toe barely touching the stripe.
On the next possession, Green got a swing pass on the left side and drove down the left lane against Gordon for an and-one. The refs didn’t see Bogut holding Davis to prevent help, and Green drilled the free throw to maintain the lead, 115-111, with 2:28 to go.
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Evans then drove into the paint and found Davis on the left baseline for a swished jumper, giving Davis 28 points, 15 rebounds.
But Golden State answered back with Bogut playing pick-and-roll with Curry, slipping, and Steph finding him with a pinpoint pass for a two-handed slam before the help could get there.
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With 1:51 to play, Williams called a timeout and the Warriors were up, 119-113.
Evans went pick-and-roll with Davis and got a righty bank from the left side and, on the Warriors’ possession, the officials caught Bogut on another grab as Klay attempted to drive on Davis, with Anderson being held down by Bogut.
Anderson brought the Pelicans to within one point as he made a catch-and-shoot from the deep left wing, to make it 119-118 with 1:12 left.
Curry tried to put a nail in the coffin with a pivot-and-launch from the right elbow downtown, but Barnes made a tap out and Green ran into the backcourt to track down the offensive rebound. Kerr called timeout and the Warriors held a 119-118 lead with 44.1 seconds remaining.
Steph then wheeled around the top and missed a pull-up three. Green appeared to get the rebound over Davis, but a late whistle charged Draymond with the push on Davis, which replays confirmed. It was Green’s sixth personal. Iguodala checked in.
Gordon was short on the three-point catch-and-pivot. Klay got the rebound, dribbled tenuously past halfcourt, finally got the ball to Curry, and Evans finally fouled Steph with 14.8 seconds to go and the Pelicans down by one, still 119-118.
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Curry made both and Golden State was up, 121-118, with 13.8 seconds to go.
With 10.9 seconds left, Thompson was guarding Davis at the high post and, with Evans with the ball up top, Klay was called for an off-the-ball foul, giving the Pelicans one free throw shot and the ball. Davis swished the free throw and New Orleans pulled to within 121-119.
Davis drove left on Bogut, but it was a tough angle against one of the game’s best big defenders, and the ball caromed off the board to the other side to Thompson, who fell down, but the Warriors called timeout.
On the side out, the ball went into Curry and Evans inexplicably let a tick burn from the clock before fouling with 3.2 seconds left. Curry made both, with the first rattling in, and the Warriors were now up 123-119.
The Pelicans, without any timeouts left, inbounded to Evans, who dribbled up and missed a running three-pointer as Livingston let him go, as the buzzer sounded.
It was the third-largest 4th-quarter comeback in NBA Playoffs history and Golden State took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.
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Curry led all scorers with 40 points on 10-for-29 field, 7-for-18 downtown, 13-for-14 from the charity stripe, and 9 assists. Klay added 28 on 9-for-21 shooting, 6-for-12 from beyond the arc, while Draymond racked up 12 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
Davis led the Pelicans with 29 points on 11-for-22 field, 15 rebounds, while Anderson added 26 off the bench, and Evans tallied 19 points, 8 assists.
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