After a heartbreaking game 3 loss it would be supremely hard for the New Orleans Pelicans to have anything left mentally when they came into game 4 against the Golden State Warriors. When you get a punch in the mouth like that last second shot by Stephen Curry hit to send the game into overtime, there would be an obvious cause for concern for the Pelicans mental state.
Early on, the Pelicans showed their deficiencies but by time the fourth quarter came around, the Pels would come roaring back. Unfortunately for New Orleans and their fans, it wasn’t enough as they couldn’t find a way to fight another day and the Warriors closed the door on the Pelicans season with a 109-98 victory, completing their first round playoff series sweep. Fittingly, the Warriors are the first team to advance.
Stephen Curry hit six 3-pointers during a 39-point night and his ‘Splash Brothers’ counterpart, Klay Thompson, added 25 points for the Warriors, who are the NBA’s top overall seed.
Draymond Green dropped 22 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State, which raced to a 67-54 halftime lead and were up by as much as 24 points in the second half. Then the desperate Pelicans briefly cut the Warriors deficit to single digits in the final minutes but it just wasn’t enough as the Warriors proved their worth when it mattered yet again.
Anthony Davis had 36 points and 11 rebounds to close out what has been a remarkable third season for the Pelicans’ 22-year-old franchise player. He just didn’t have quite enough help around him. In fact, ‘The Brow’ joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bob McAdoo as the only players to average 30 points and 10 rebounds in their first 4 playoff games.
Eric Gordon dropped 29 points but no other starter scored over 4 points. Ryan Anderson and Dante Cunningham came off the bench to score 10 each but it wasn’t near enough to get a win.
Now the Warriors will await the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers series.
