Down 20 to start the fourth quarter. Down 18 with 7:25 left in the game. Down 15 and just 4:53 remaining. Down five with a mere 17 seconds on the clock. No matter how you slice it, the Warriors' comeback was marvelous. It was a culmination of good bounces, New Orleans' inexperience and some great, great shot making.
3 keys to the Warriors’ incredible comeback
Golden State took advantage of New Orleans’ defensive rebounding and Anthony Davis’ tired legs in the game’s final five minutes.
It might be shocking to realize Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson only had 15 of the 39 points in that fourth quarter. Tell me the Warriors are going to make a 20-point comeback in the span of minutes and I'd say one or both of the Splash Bros must have turned into a magma-spewing volcano behind the arc. Yes, Curry had the game's two most important shots in the final 17 seconds of the quarter, but overall the two were 4-12 in those final 12 minutes.
Instead, the Warriors’ supporting cast came up big while taking advantage of a worn out Pelicans team on route to Golden State’s 70th win. Here are the three main reasons they were able to come back in that fourth quarter.
1. Davis looked exhausted in the game’s final minutes
Anthony Davis' line of 29 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and three steals can't describe his overall impact in every area of the game. The man that may soon be called "best in the NBA" showed why with a dominating performance all across the floor.
But in the fourth quarter, Davis wasn’t himself. He scored just three points on 1-4 shooting, turned the ball over once and split a pair of free throws that allowed Curry’s late three to tie the game. Perhaps the Herculean effort he exerted in the previous 31 minutes of action finally wore him down. If it had, can you really blame him?
Shortly after Davis checked back in, Norris Cole forces this pass. It's deflected and turned over, but Davis doesn't do much to help Cole out. It isn't a great seal on Draymond Green, who was able to sneak over the top to get a hand on the ball.
On this play Davis fails to get position for beloved extended elbow post-up and then makes no effort to get back into the play. It doesn't look like he gives up as much as he's just exhausted. The Pelicans are forced to take an awful shot.
Even when Davis did get good position, the Warriors’ league-best defense made things tough. Klay Thompson concedes three inches to Davis, but held his own on a post-up, forcing him into a tough turnaround before an offensive goaltend call.
This isn’t criticism of Davis as much as an acknowledgement he can’t do it all. He needed help in those final five minutes and the young Pelicans squad just wasn’t able to back him up.
2. The Pelicans were killed with offensive rebounds
Some of these are attributable to Davis, like this entirely too easy tip dunk from Harrison Barnes.
On this one, Davis is caught between coming from the opposite side to contest Curry’s eminent shot (circled) or box out. He ends up doing neither, and when Curry misses, Green easily puts the shot back up for a layup that cuts the lead to six.
But it wasn’t just Davis. One player doesn’t allow eight offensive rebounds in a single quarter. On any given possession, a rebound is mostly luck, but over the stretch of the game, the team that puts itself in good position more times will be rewarded. When two Warriors have the inside position, the odds of Green earning this put back increase dramatically.
3. Stephen Curry isn’t fair
What else can you do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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