HALFTIME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS: Late Spurt From McAdoo & Curry Gives Warriors 59-50 Lead Over New Orleans Pelicans

1st Quarter – Pelicans’ Superbowl

New Orleans head coach Alvin Gentry had his team playing spirited defense at the outset, having all his players switch on every screen. Often times Anthony Davis would end up on Klay Thompson, or Dante Cunningham on Stephen Curry.

Andrew Bogut had an inconsistent start, throwing a bad pass, airballing a push shot, yet getting an “and-one” bucket to drop after Draymond Green made a turnover, stolen by Toney Douglas, only to have Curry steal it back and find Bogut in the paint.

However, Bogut airballed the free throw:

https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js

Green made another bad pass, but Douglas missed a three and Harrison Barnes made a wide-open jumper from the left side. After Bogut bit on an upfake from Douglas, slamming Douglas to the floor with the whistle, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called timeout to draw up a play after the free throws.

Kerr got Barnes a dunk curling off a screen and cutting straight down the lane…

Draymond dishes, Harrison hammers! (@CSNAuthentic) pic.twitter.com/08nI3drCG0

— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) March 15, 2016

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

…but the Pelicans answered with a Jrue Holiday swish. Curry missed a three against Davis, short off rim, went to try and tap the ball to himself, but was too late as Davis streaked past. Green managed to get back and disrupt Davis’ fast break attack, but no one else got back to challenge Alonzo Gee’s putback.

Later, Kerr opted to go early with Leandro Barbosa and Marreese Speights, subbing out Thompson and Bogut, and Curry immediately got the ball to Speights, who drilled a turnaround over the smaller Gee on the right block.

Barbosa added a catch-and-shoot trey from the right wing via Draymond cross-court feed from the left post and Gentry took a timeout with the Pelicans still up, 16-15.

Curry ended the quarter with a spurt, crossing over at the top to get a righty scoop banker high off the board over Davis, Speights fed Steph tailing off to the right corner for a catch-and-shoot trey, Shaun Livingston lasered a pass with the left hand to a cutting Green past Orlando Johnson, then hit a jumper in transition after a Davis miss, and on another miss, Green tapped the defensive rebound out to Steph, who crossed Ryan Anderson at the top and got another layup, this time with the lefty:

https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js

But the Pelicans answered back with jumpers from Johnson and Davis and the Warriors led just 28-24 at the end of the opening frame.

Curry led all scorers with 9 points…

https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js

…Green had 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks, but also 4 turnovers, while Davis countered with 8 points and 4 rebounds, although he shot just 4-for-10 from the field.

2nd Quarter –

The bench unit did well at the start of the second quarter, as Barbosa got a reverse layup and Anderson Varejao got an “and-one”, plus another bucket inside. At one point, the Warriors went ahead by as much as 37-30, but the Pelicans’ Anderson responded by getting to the line, including an “and-one” for himself.

With 7:18 to play, Kerr re-inserted Curry and Green, but Thompson committed Golden State’s tenth turnover when he lobbed an entry pass to Draymond too far.

At the 5:32 mark, Kerr rolled the dice again and had James McAdoo check in to go along with Curry, Thompson, Barnes, and Green, and McAdoo got a layup fed by Barnes just as the jumbotron announcer announced the substitution as play resumed.

That seemed to spark the Warriors, as Holiday missed, Draymond rebounded, outlet to Steph, and two seconds later, found Klay streaking for a layup.

Holiday missed again late in the shotclock from the left arc, and Barnes got the ball while the Pelicans were on their heels and blew past Davis, with Davis hacking Barnes after realizing he better make Barnes earn points from the line, which Harrison did.

McAdoo added another slip to the hole assisted by Curry…

https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js

…but Davis got free throws and the game remained close at 52-48 with 2:02 to go, when Holiday missed a three, then Steph crossed Davis, went down the lane, shielded his body from a helping Cunningham, drew the contact and whistle, and made the hanging, leaning righty banker:

Steph gives AD the double cross-over, finishes the and-1 in traffic ??? #Warriors ahead at the half 59-50 pic.twitter.com/YdWGNPCVjb

— KNBR (@KNBR) March 15, 2016

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Curry converted the “and-one” and the Warriors had a 55-48 lead with 1:17 to go.

On the next possession, Barnes anticipated and stole a swing pass by Davis, missed the contested fast break layup, but McAdoo ran the floor and got a two-handed slam on the putback.

Douglas inexplicably threw up a three from the top early in the shotclock in response, Green rebounded, and went coast-to-coast past Davis for a layup. #Roaracle awoke and the Warriors went up, 59-48, as Gentry took another timeout with 42.1 seconds remaining in the half.

Out of the timeout, Holiday got a reverse layup past Curry, then Steph missed a stepback jumper from the left baseline. Green disrupted another attack from Holiday, and Curry launched from halfcourt again, but the banker was off as the crowd collectively held its breath. The shot would not have counted if it had gone in.

The Warriors led 59-50 at the half, with Steph leading the way with 12 points. Varejao had 7 points off the bench and Draymond had 7 boards. Davis led the Pelicans with 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Follow @poormanscommish

(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via @bangan)