For the 3rd game in a row the Pelicans had two 30pt scorers. This time it was the Pels’ backcourt duo of Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday, combining for 64pts, 11rebs, 14asts, 7stls, and 3blks to help take the NBA’s best team down to the wire.  Unfortunately it wasn’t enough as the Pels fell in OT 128-122.  GS led 60-51 at half, but a 38pt 3rd by the Pels got them back into the game. They matched everything the Warriors threw at them in the 4th, but just couldn’t hold on in OT.

There honestly isn’t anything negative to say about the Pelicans, the way they fought and the defense they played tonight was nothing short of inspired.  Curry, Thompson, those guys are gonna score on you, they are pretty much the best backcourt in the league, but Jrue and Tyreke matched them toe to toe, and in my biased eyes outplayed them.  The defense, led by a stellar performance from Holiday, forced 20 turnovers, 6 from Curry, leading to 23 points for Pels.  Everyone contributed, double digit points from Cunningham and Withey, hustle plays and all around effort from Rivers, it just wasn’t enough to bring down the now 21-2 league leading Warriors.

Perhaps the deciding factor was the 3 ball – a theme in Golden State games.  Babbit, Rivers, and Anderson shot a combined 4-15 from deep, while Golden State as a team shot 45.8% on 11-24 from deep.  Anderson was just 5-16 from the field, as the form he found in Friday night’s performance against the Cavs did not carry over.  He is now at 33% on the season from the 3pt line (having taken over 150 shots); he hasn’t shot under 38% from 3 since the 09-10 season.

Evans, however, is in great form after a slow start to the season. He has now scored 30 or more in back to back games against 2 elite teams and is shooting over 46% from the field in his last 10.

This loss stings, and I am not one to claim moral victories, but in all honesty the Pels looked great in front of a great crowd.  Their form has been on the rise as of late, and hopefully they keep improving after the return of Davis. Next up is a Tuesday night match up against a 6-18 Utah Jazz at the SKC.

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