This is a continuation of the halftime recap of the Golden State Warriors at the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans held a 65-64 lead heading into the second half.
3rd Quarter
Stephen Curry’s wizardry sparked the Warriors, as he got into a little trouble but then threw a behind-the-shoulder no-look pass to Harrison Barnes for an and-one:
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After that, Curry drained three triples, one of them over the outstretched arms of Anthony Davis:
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Klay Thompson then hit a fourth straight trey and Draymond Green added a fifth.
Curry tacked on a stop-and-pop, then Jrue Holiday couldn’t find his dribble, Steph took it away, and scissored through Holiday in transition for a layup, giving Golden State an 88-76 lead with 5:06 to play in the third stanza, as Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry took a timeout.
Curry wasn’t done, hitting another triple, getting a layup in traffic…
…then getting fed in transition by Shaun Livingston and going behind-the-back left-to-right on the dribble to change direction, find a seam, and finish the layup.
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Here’s another angle:
Final from NOLA: @Warriors: 134 @PelicansNBA: 120 Curry: 53 Pts (17-27 FG) 4 Rebs 9 Asts 4 Stls. #NBAGIF pic.twitter.com/AFNE6WOVNg
— NBA (@NBA) November 1, 2015
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After Anthony Davis missed a layup with 46.9 seconds remaining, Curry got the ball in a two-for-one situation and pulled up from the deep right wing for a three and drew the foul on Alonzo Gee.
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He even did a salsa in celebration:
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That gave Curry 43 points, 28 in the third quarter alone, and although he missed one last three-point attempt with 9.9 seconds remaining, the Warriors had a 105-91 lead heading into the final frame.
4th Quarter
With the second unit in including Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, Brandon Rush, Andre Iguodala, and Marreese Speights did well to maintain a 113-100 lead before Curry re-entered the game with 7:08 remaining.
Curry added a step-back on a dribble on the left side against Eric Gordon, then a lefty behind-the-back flip to Green for another three-pointer, giving Steph 7 assists and Draymond 18 points on 4-for-5 from downtown.
Both teams traded buckets from that point on, with Luke Babbitt committing a bad turnover that turned into Curry’s 8th assist and a dunk by Barnes.
Holiday made a jumper, but Steph answered again with a step-back two from Gordon’s chest…
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…then Davis got an alley-oop but also a technical out of frustration, and Curry hit the technical free throw.
At the 2:11 mark, Curry hit another 30-footer-or-so to give him 51 points as the Warriors started the squeeze the life out of the Pelicans with a 127-115 lead:
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With his career-high at 54, Curry tried a step-back three but missed one minute to go then missed with the left hand. With 30 seconds to play, the benches emptied and Steph finished the game with 51 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals.
Per Warriors PR, Curry’s 118 points through the season’s first three games is the most since Michael Jordan in 1989-90. Also, Curry is the first Warrior since Wilt Chamberlain (1962-63) to score at least 118 points through the season’s first three games.
After a late triple swished by Rush, Golden State won, 134-120, as Green chipped in 21 and Thompson 19. Davis scored 26 in defeat and Gordon added 22.
The Warriors head back to the Bay with a day off tomorrow, then face the Memphis Grizzlies at home the next night on Monday.
Post-game interview with Craig Sager:
Hear what @StephenCurry30 had to say to Craig Sager after his big night in New Orleans. https://t.co/mMAnFxZzqt
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 1, 2015
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(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via @cknorton1)
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