Game 4 Preview: Warriors vs. Pelicans

#1 – Golden State Warriors

The New Orleans Pelicans appeared to have a Game 3 victory over the Golden State Warriors locked up. They led by 20 points in the fourth quarter and their win probability reached 98.23 percent at one point, according to numberFire.

However, the Warriors came charging back and Steph Curry hit a ridiculous shot over multiple Pelicans to force overtime (just seconds after he missed his first game-winning attempt, but got a second chance thanks to a clutch offensive rebound from Marreese Speights). From that point on, the Warriors had all of the momentum and won the game, 123-119.

Curry finished the game with 40 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Draymond Green contributed 12 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Klay Thompson had 28 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

The Pelicans blew a huge opportunity to take Game 3 on their home floor, which would’ve put them in position to even the series next game. Now, they are in a 0-3 hole, and no team in NBA history has won a seven-game series after falling down by that many games.

This series is much closer than that 0-3 record indicates, as the Pelicans have been competing very well against the Warriors. However, it’s the little things that win playoff games and that’s where the Pelicans’ inexperience shows against the elite Warriors.

Golden State never should’ve been able to come back last night and give Curry those two attempts to force overtime. It was a remarkable comeback and a clutch shot by one of the NBA’s best players, and it will be remembered for quite some time.

#8 – New Orleans Pelicans

At this point, the Pelicans are just playing to win one game and give their team some more postseason experience, since making history against one of the best NBA teams in recent years doesn’t seem likely.

The Game 3 loss must really hurt, because it seems like this was New Orleans’ best punch. They received huge contributions from Anthony Davis (29 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks, three assists, two steals), as always, but a number of other players also stepped up to have strong games.

Ryan Anderson contributed 26 points on 10-14 shooting from the field off of the bench in addition to five rebounds. Tyreke Evans had 19 points, eight assists, four rebounds and three steals. Norris Cole and Jrue Holiday played well off of New Orleans’ bench as well, combining for 26 points. In total, New Orleans’ reserves outscored Golden State 58-26, and the Pelicans led Game 3 by double digits for much of the game.

It seems like everything fell into place for New Orleans to get a win, yet they still lost on their home floor. That has to be disheartening, and it really speaks more to the greatness of this Warriors team than anything. Now, the Pelicans are playing for pride and to give their fans at least one playoff win, but for the first time it seems like this series over.

Who Wins Game 4?

The Warriors will get the sweep on the Pelicans’ home floor. It will be tough to bounce back from a loss like this, especially for an inexperienced team like New Orleans. The Pelicans have played well and this postseason experience will be good for them in the long run, but Golden State is on another level right now and it’s hard to bet against them in an elimination game.