WARRIORS FAN PLAYOFF HOPES
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AFP) – Steph Curry erupted for 41 points as the Golden State Warriors stayed on course for the postseason with a 123-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
Curry’s 33rd 30-point game of the season helped the Warriors move to 33-32 to leave the team firmly in the hunt for a Western Conference play-in tournament place.
But the Warriors’ road victory all but extinguished New Orleans’ chances of reaching the playoffs.
The defeat means the Pelicans are now languishing outside the playin competition places with a 29-36 record, four games adrift of the San Antonio Spurs.
Curry’s latest masterclass in a season that has seen him emerge as a frontrunner for NBA Most Valuable Player honours was his ninth 40-point game of the season, and the 47th 40-point game of his career.
“I’m just playing with confidence,” Curry said afterwards. “Every game I’m just trying to sustain the intensity, the effort and the focus.
“It’s been a fun year and a fun ride but we’ve got a lot left to do. I’m glad I’m playing my part.”
The Warriors led from start to finish, rocking the Pelicans by sprinting into a 39-21 lead at the end of the first quarter and stretching into a 25-point lead midway through the second quarter.
“For us to come out like we did tonight in the first quarter and impose our will -- it helped us maintain momentum throughout the game offensively,” Curry told ESPN after the win.
Elsewhere on Monday, the Denver Nuggets clinched their place in the playoffs despite sliding to a 93-89 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets booked their place in the playoffs after the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 123-114.
In other games, Russell Westbrook laid on a remarkable 24 assists to complete his 32nd tripledouble of the season in the Washington Wizards’ 154-141 home defeat of the Indiana Pacers.