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On to the next series.
With a 109-98 victory in Game 4 tonight, the Warriors finished off a sweep of New Orleans 4-0.
The Pelicans were a worthy first-round foe, to be sure, but they just didn't have enough of anything — defense, coaching, depth, talent, and playoff experience — to be a serious threat to the Warriors over the course of a series. After the Stephen Curry Miracle Game on Thursday night, the Warriors were confident they could wrap up the series in New Orleans tonight. And they did.
The Warriors came out on fire in the first half, putting up an offensive rating of 149.59 to the Pelicans' 120.56. They cooled off considerably in the third quarter as they shot just 40% from the field but they held New Orleans to 27.8% shooting from the field in that quarter to head into the final period with a 21 point lead.
Stephen Curry ultimately led the Warriors with 39 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds; Draymond Green was even closer to a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 36 points and 11 rebounds.
Per @EliasSports, Warriors last playoff triple-double: Guy Rodgers in 1962. Curry has 36pts/8ast/7reb, Green has 20pts/10reb/8ast
— GSWStats (@gswstats) April 26, 2015
New Orleans put up quite a fight to get within 10 points just as they had all series -- coming back from down 25 to make Game 1 close, taking a 13-point lead in Game 2, and nearly holding off the Warriors' charge in Game 3. Tonight they showed grit and toughness with their backs to the wall, facing elimination against a team that smelled blood. But the Warriors are savage; they ripped the Pelicans' hearts out right when it seemed they were done. Game 3 was the epitome of that, and the Warriors carried their fourth-quarter dominance into Game 4.
Golden State will now face either the Memphis Grizzlies or the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round. Currently, Memphis leads the series 2-0 and has a chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead in Portland tonight.
For more on Game 4, check out our storystream here.