Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Pelicans

The Golden State Warriors beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-101 in Game 1 of their second round matchup. Here are our takeaways from the opening act of this highly anticipated series.

It takes 48 minutes to win an NBA game, but the Golden State Warriors‘ 123-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans was decided during a stretch of about half a quarter.

After a competitive opening period, the Warriors were up 52-46 at the 7:06 mark in the second. Six minutes later, it was 76-48. A mini 7-0 Pelicans run — capped by a full-court Darius Miller heave — made it a 21-point game at halftime, but the game was essentially decided. The Warriors don’t blow massive leads at home — at least, not this locked-in version of them.

As was the case in Round 1, the Warriors’ three healthy All-Stars carried the day. Klay Thompson finished with 27 points, six rebounds and two blocks on 10-of-22 shooting. Similarly, Kevin Durant had 26 points, 13 boards and two blocks on 10-of-21, while Draymond Green posted a triple-double (16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists), adding three steals and two blocks.

For our three takeaways, we are going to focus on the first half — the competitive portion of this game.