Davis dominates as Pelicans trim deficit
Rajon Rondo told Anthony Davis to “take a nap and think about 50” in the hours leading up to a playoff game New Orleans all but had to win to have any hope of staging a playoff upset of defending champion Golden State.
Davis didn’t quite score 50, but his dominance around and above the rim got the Pelicans back in the series.
Highlighted by dunks of the driving, put-back or alley-oop variety, Davis had 33 points to go with 18 rebounds and four steals, and the Pelicans defeated the Warriors 119-100 on Friday night to trim Golden State’s series lead to 2-1.
“He came out aggressive. He set the tone on both ends of the f loor,” Rondo said. “He attacked the rim strong tonight.”
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry added that he “felt real good” during a timeout when he heard Davis say, “We’re not losing this game.”
Davis’ determined play around the basket helped New Orleans outscore the Warriors 54-36 in the paint and outrebound Golden State 54-44.
The Pelicans five-time All-Star said “aggression” had more to do with his team’s victory than any tactical adjustments they made.
The Warriors have been known to erase large deficits in a hurry, but each time they tried to do so in Game 3, the Pelicans responded en route to a resounding victory. The Warriors never led by more than a single point and trailed by double digits for almost the entire first half, going down by 25 points in the third quarter and 26 in the fourth.
Golden State shot uncharacteristically poorly from outside, missing 22 of 31 three-point attempts and finishing at 38% shooting (35 for 92) overall.
“Most of it is attributed the Pelicans. Their defense was great,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “They were the aggressors. They brought the necessary force to the game on their home floor and these are the ebbs and flows of the playoffs.”
Jrue Holiday scored 21 for New Orleans and Ian Clark added 18 points against his former club. As in Game 2, Rondo once again had a heated exchange with Warriors forward Draymond Green. This time, Rondo backed it up with 21 assists.
Klay Thompson scored 26 for Golden State, but missed 13 of 22 shots. Stephen Curry, in his second game back after a sprained knee sidelined him more than a month, missed 13 of 19 shots and finished with 19 points. Kevin Durant scored 22 points for the Warriors, but hit only two shots in the second half.
Houston 113, at Utah 92: James Harden had 25 points and 12 assists to lead the Rockets over the Jazz in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series.
Eric Gordon added 25 points and Chris Paul had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Rockets. Houston beat Utah in Salt Lake City for the third time this season to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is on Sunday.
Royce O’ Neale scored 17 points. Alec Burks chipped in 14 points while Rudy Gobert added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz.
Utah never got on track on offense. The Jazz shot poorly over the first three quarters and committed 16 turnovers. Houston scored 19 points off those turnovers.