Golden State Warriors – Game 2 Recap

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green on davis

Last night the Golden State Warriors got the job done yet again on their home court; beating the New Orleans Pelicans 97-87, marking their 41st win out 43 home games for the year.  Anthony Davis and Eric Gordon came out the gates on fire helping the Pelicans take an early 13 point lead but it was evident that they didn’t have enough to maintain it.  The 2nd and 4th quarters were the major difference for this team.  In those two quarters alone, they outscored the Pelicans 64-40 and the essential factor to that success was the great play by the bench to go along with stellar defense. Klay Thompson said it best:

“We know we’re going to have turnovers or lapses. But it’s the defense that won us the game,” Thompson said.

The Golden State Warriors were able to hold the Pelicans to 37.8% field goal shooting for the game and also forced 13 turnovers. Most of those turnovers benefited Golden State by putting them in fast break situations and they were able to capitalize, with 24 transition points compared to the Pelicans’ 7.

Game Changers

 

The bench for Golden State stepped up big compared to last game outscoring the New Orleans bench 25-17, but the two crucial factors for me were Leandro Barbosa and Draymond Green. Leandro Barbosa put in some big buckets in the second quarter to help the Warriors come back from their 13 point deficit.

He finished the game with 12 points–most of them coming in the 2nd quarter. Draymond Green filled the stat line with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists but where he affected the game the most in my opinion, was off the stat sheet. The defense he played all game was great but he showed out big time in the 4th. He was active and that allowed him to get deflections and blocks; but most importantly, Green with the help from Andrew Bogut were able to keep Anthony Davis scoreless in the 4th quarter going 0-5 from the field. That defense along with Klay Thompson’s 14 late points down the stretch were able to seal the deal for the Golden State Warriors.

Game 3 Keys to Winning

  • The Warriors can’t afford to come out slow like they did in game 2. The Pelicans will be desperate for a win, especially in front of their home crowd.
  • Golden State ‘s biggest problem has been turnovers all year so they must do their best to not be careless with the ball.
  • Harass Anthony Davis! The way they made him work and wore him down last night is what they need to try to repeat for the rest of the series.

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