By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Golden State Warriors took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series against the New Orleans Pelicans, topping the team from the Big Easy 97-87 Monday night at Oracle Arena.

Klay Thompson matched New Orleans’ Anthony Davis with a game-high 26 points. The All-Star guard went 11-of-17 from the field while fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry chipped in 22 points on 9-for-21 shooting. Draymond Green produced a double-double, scoring 14 while pulling down 12 rebounds.

A potential MVP pick, Davis notched a double-double of his own. The forward-center hybrid nabbed 10 rebounds to go with his 26 points. Teammate Omar Asik topped Davis with 13 rebounds, while the Warriors Aussie Andrew Bogut had a game-best 14.

Golden State trailed by as much as 13 points in the first quarter, finishing the period down 28-17. The Warriors clawed back in the second frame though, out-producing the eighth-seeded Pelicans 38-24. The run was punctuated by a Curry three-pointer, one of three treys hit by the surefire MVP, with 9 seconds left to put Golden State ahead 55-52.

The home team exploded out the gate in the third, scoring six of the first seven points for a 61-53 lead. New Orleans eventually knotted the game up 64-even with just under six minutes left till the 4^th. The two teams ultimate headed into the fourth, deciding quarter tied 71-71.

From there, it was the Klay Thompson show. Thompson scored 14 of his 26 points in the final 12 minutes. Even with Thompson’s performance, the Warriors couldn’t distance themselves from the upset-minded visitors. The Pelicans trailed by just one point, with the scoreboard reading 85-84 with 5:34 remaining.

Thompson hit a three, but Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans responded with a lay-up at the other end. Back-to-back jumpers from Green and Thompson put some distance between the Dubs and Pelicans with 3:34 left. Thompson would score the next three points on a lay-up, converting the and-1 after an Evans foul. Then Bogut broke out the jam with just over a minute left to put the Warriors ahead comfortably 97-86. Evans would hit a free throw to wrap up the scoring.

The Warriors again struggled from the free throw line, hitting 12 of 19 from behind the charity stripe after going 21-for-34 in Saturday’s series opener. They did once again outrebound New Orleans 49-42 while holding the Pelicans to only 31 of 82 baskets attempted for a 37.8 shooting percentage. As a team, the Dubs shot 44.2 percent, making 38 of 86 would-be baskets.

The series now shifts to New Orleans, with the Warriors looking to sweep the series by winning Thursday and Saturday’s contests in the Big Easy. The Pelicans seek to escape the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008, the season the Pelicans won the Southwest division. That year marks the only time in team history that New Orleans advanced past the opening round, with the then-hornets falling to the Spurs in the Conference Semifinals. The Pelicans have been in the playoffs 5 times since the team relocated to New Orleans in 2002.