@warriors photo: The Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors open their third round series starting next Monday at Golden State for game 1

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Golden State opened Game 5 of its NBA West playoff game at New Orleans with a third-quarter blitz that propelled the Warriors past the Pelicans 113-104, earning a 4-games-to-1 series triumph.

The Warriors now look forward to the much-anticipated Western Conference final against the Houston Rockets, who eliminated the Utah Jazz. It’s the fourth consecutive Western final for Golden State.

It was the Warriors’ 15th consecutive postseason win at home, tying the 1989-90 and 1990-91 Chicago Bulls for the longest such streak in NBA playoff history.

After a sluggish start, the Warriors opened the third quarter at Oracle Arena with a 25-4 run.

Stephen Curry shot 10-of -16 from the field, including 3-of-6 behind the arc, and he finished with a team-high 28 points, to go with eight assists, seven rebounds and a steal. It was Curry’s fourth game back in the lineup after missing five weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Klay Thompson contributed 23 points, six rebounds three assists and a steal for Golden State, and Kevin Durant scored 11 of his 24 points in the second quarter. Durant also had seven assists, six rebounds and two steals.

Draymond Green kicked in 19 points, 14 boards, nine assists, three steals and blocked two shots.

Anthony Davis had a monster game in defeat for New Orleans, finishing with a game-high 34 points (13-of-26 field goals), a playoff career-high 19 rebounds and four blocked shots in 46 minutes. Jrue Holiday had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 boards, his first playoff triple-double.

The Warriors-Rockets series begins Monday in Houston.