No rust on Curry in dominant return to center spotlight

OAKLAND, California — Long before Tuesday’s tipoff, Stephen Curry swished his routine tunnel shot on the second try.

Once the game began, the two-time NBA MVP stood at the bench anxiously waiting for his turn, shaking his legs and clapping his hands with nervous energy.

Then — mouthpiece dangling, of course — Curry finally entered at the 4:20 mark of the first quarter to a roaring ovation from the Oracle Arena crowd and immediately went to work.

He knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing 11 seconds later and was off and running in Golden State’s 121-116 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

“It felt like an eternity, for sure,” Curry said. “When the lights come back on after the starting lineups you’re usually in the ‘go’ kind of mind frame.

“I had to kind of pace myself and be patient with it. It seemed like it took forever, but it was a good feeling to get back out on the floor and just let loose and have fun.”

Curry came off the bench to score 28 points in a triumphant return from a knee injury and nearly six weeks off, and the Warriors held off Anthony Davis and the pesky Pelicans to go up 2-0 in their Western Conference semifinal.

All is right with the Warriors again now that their star No 30 is back on the floor — even as a backup.

“It brought a lot of life to the building, a lot of life to our team’s spirit. Pretty fitting for sure,” Draymond Green said of Curry’s immediate 3-pointer.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points with a huge 3 with 3:10 to play, to go with seven assists and six rebounds in Golden State’s franchiserecord 14th consecutive postseason victory at Oracle Arena.

Green contributed 20 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds while battling Davis on both ends all night.

Davis finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Pelicans, who also got 22 points and 12 assists from Rajon Rondo.

“It was tough,” Davis said. “We were in it the whole game.”

Andre Iguodala converted a snazzy three-point play with 6:41 left when he flipped the ball up and it came back down and through the net as he was fouled by Rondo, then Golden State pulled away.

The best-of-seven series resumes with Game 3 on Friday at New Orleans.

EZRA SHAW / GETTY IMAGES / AFP Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors reacts to draining a 3-pointer against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night in Oakland.