Curry scored 28 of his 53 league season-high points in a blistering third quarter Saturday night as the visiting Warriors handled the winless Pelicans for the second time this season, 134-120.
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Draymond Green scored 21 points and Klay Thompson, a former Washington State standout, added 19 for defending champion Golden State, which has won its first three games this season. The Pelicans saw Anthony Davis get his 100 career double-double with 26 points and 15 rebounds (with two blocks) in a losing effort.
Stat of the night: While Curry has scored 65 points on 23-of-41 (.561) shooting in the first two games, the Warriors have held MVP candidates James Harden and Anthony Davis to a combined 34 points on 8-of-38 (.211) shooting. In three games this year, he has shot for a total of 118 points.
The Rockets came out with more focus and energy tonight than in their loss to Denver in the opener, but were undone by another night of poor shooting and no offensive rhythm to speak of in a second consecutive blowout, losing 112-92 to the Golden State Warriors.
Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 23 points while Derrick Rose did not score until the fourth quarter and finished with just eight points.
Warriors: While the Warriors are renowned for their fast pace of play, they were called for a delay of game twice in the first quarter, resulting in a technical foul shot for New Orleans, which Davis missed…. “And then, out of that, you start to get creative, try to be more aggressive and just test out the hot hand”. The Pelicans would go on to lose the game by 16 and Curry’s 40 points were a huge factor.
The first quarter was tightly contested as the Warriors and Pelicans exchanged baskets. The Pelicans led at halftime, thanks to strong starts from the backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon, and key contributions from reserves Ryan Anderson, Alexis Ajinca and the recently re-signed Toney Douglas. He scored 17 points.
For the Rockets, Jame Harden scored 16 points, Dwight Howard gained nine points and seven rebounds in his first game after serving a one-game suspension. It was the end of the Pelicans’ hopes, but you get the sense it was only the beginning for the new, improved MVP.
It has been a rough start for the Pelicans so far, as the do sit 0-3.
All of that being said, we have to go with the Warriors in this game. He’s so comfortable out there, he knows he’s the MVP and he’s going to be the MVP this year again.
The Warriors (3-0) most assuredly will get better. “I thought we were very stagnant offensively, and we were better defensively doing what we practise every day”. I think part of that is adjusting to a new system: habits can’t be changed that quickly, injuries are still a thing for the Pels and the change in philosophy is big. So [the message was] just keep our composure and continue to play our game. The season prior to the last, that 3-man lineup played 266 minutes in 15 games.
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The Rockets will hit the road for the first time this season Sunday, when they face off against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena.
