Pelicans trip Warriors to trim series deficit
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The New Orleans Pelicans, energized by a return to their home court, dominated the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors 119-100 Friday to narrow the gap in their second-round playoff series.
Anthony Davis scored 33 points with 18 rebounds and four steals and Pels point guard Rajon Rondo dished out 21 assists to keep the New Orleans offense clicking.
Driving and dunking, Davis helped New Orleans out-score Golden State 54-36 in the paint.
The Pelicans also drained 14 three-pointers as they whittled the deficit to 2-1 in their best-of-seven Western Conference series.
The Pelicans will have a chance to even things up when they host game four on Sunday.
“We just did what we were supposed to do,’’ Davis said. “Of course, we didn’t want to go down 0-3 but we got our big one tonight and now we’ll try to get ready for Sunday.’’
Warriors coach Steve Kerr wasn’t surprised to see the Pelicans respond after dropping the first two games in Oakland.
“On their home floor, down 2-0, this is what you expect,’’ Kerr said of the Pelicans’ intensity. “Their defense was great, they were the aggressors. I thought they brought the necessary force to the game on their home floor.’’
New Orleans drained 10 three-pointers in the first 24 minutes, leading by as many as 15 en route to a 62-56 halftime margin.
Jrue Holiday helped set the tone, scoring 11 of his 21 points in the first quarter.
“You always shoot better at home,’’ Davis said. “Guys made shots in shootaround this morning and it carried over. When you’re back at home and the crowd’s behind you, you play with a lot more confidence.’’
Warriors star Stephen Curry, back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in his return from a knee injury in game two, mustered only three points in the opening quarter, when sharp-shooter Klay Thompson was held scoreless.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Houston Rockets thrashed the Utah Jazz 113-92 in Salt Lake City on Friday to regain home court advantage in the NBA playoffs.
Stung by 116-108 game-two defeat on their home floor, the Rockets responded with a vengeance to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series.
Rockets star James Harden scored 25 points with 12 assists in 30 minutes on the court.
Eric Gordon added another 25 points in a merciless display by a Rockets team that led the league with 65 regular-season victories.
Royce O’Neale led the Jazz with 17 points as Houston’s stifling defense shut down game-two standouts Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles.
Mitchell connected on just four of 16 from the field for 10 points while Ingles, who scored 27 points in game two, finished with six points on two-of-10 shooting.
After a game-two performance that Harden described as “lackadaisical,’’ Houston came out with laser-like focus.