Warriors and Pelicans to Make Adjustments in Game 2

After losing to the Golden State Warriors in Game One of their seven-game series, New Orleans Pelicans’ coach claimed that Anthony Davis had approached him after the game, and admitted that ‘he figured something out’. Davis was presumably referring to the fact that he scored 20 points in the final quarter, as the Pelicans led a desperate charge at cutting down the Warriors’ lead.

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When the two teams face off again tonight, adjustments will be made, and there is a chance that the game won’t follow the same route as Game One did.

The Warriors did an admirable job defending Davis, limiting him to just 15 points and one rebound in the first three quarters.  The fourth quarter was a different story altogether, as Davis exploded for 20 points and six rebounds. However, his scoring exploits could be explained by the Warriors’ Draymond Green (who was tasked with defending Davis) spraining his ankle on a play in the fourth quarter.

The Pelicans will also have to tinker with their starting lineup, as Tyreke Evans played just 12 minutes in his playoff debut before leaving the arena. He was diagnosed with a deep bone bruise in his left knee, and it is unlikely that he will play at all tonight. The Pelicans will also attempt to give Jrue Holiday more minutes – he played 21 minutes in Game One, and is still recovering from a stress reaction in his right leg that kept him sidelined for 41 games this season.

Game One between the two teams gave eager fans a taste of how the series might play out. Tonight’s Game Two might change all of that.

Keys to the Game

1. Controlling the Boards

The Warriors did an exceptional job in Game One on the boards, limiting Davis and Omer Asik to just 16 rebounds in total. No Pelican reached double-digit in rebounds, and for the much-smaller Warriors – it was a victory. Tonight, they’ll need more of that. The Pelicans are a much bigger unit than the Dubs, and if they are given free rein on the offensive boards, it won’t look pretty for the Warriors.

1. Punishing the Defense

The Pelicans’ regular-season defence was 22^nd in the league. In Game One, we saw multiple defensive breakdowns from them, as the Warriors were given free looks at the basket off botched rotations, poor defensive miscommunication, and bad defending. The Warriors have to punish these defensive mistakes, and take full advantage of them.

Key Matchups

1. Draymond Green vs Anthony Davis

By now, it’s no secret that the Pelicans will only go as far as Anthony Davis can take them. He showed in Game One that his regular-season performances were no aberration and that he would continue excelling in the playoffs. Davis had the highest scoring playoff debut game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

For the first three quarters, the Warriors’ gameplan worked on Davis. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr admitted that their defensive strategy changed in the fourth quarter, as the Warriors focused on shutting down the Pelicans’ three-point attempts. This reduced the amount of help Green was receiving, and Davis was able to feast.

The recipe for success in the first three quarters was to double-team Davis when they had the chance, and to ensure there was rim-protection behind Green when Davis attacked the rim. Perhaps we’ll see more of that tonight.

1. Stephen Curry vs Jrue Holiday

It was just three seasons ago that Jrue Holiday made the All-Star team as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. He was part of the last eighth-seeded team to win a first-round playoff series (against the Chicago Bulls in 2012, when Derrick Rose tore his ACL). He’s been struggling with an injury throughout the whole season, but has been making his comeback as the season came to a close.

He will be expected to play more minutes tonight, and will be tasked with keeping Stephen Curry quiet. Holiday’s craft as a defensive point guard was once widely admired, and it will be interesting to see if he can contain the MVP-favourite Curry.

Curry had 34 points and five assists, but shot just 4-of-13 from behind the arc and 4-of-7 from the line.