Blue Man Hoop
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Golden State Warriors Aim to Close Out Pelicans in Game 5

By Andrew Ites

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 1: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors and Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans look on in Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 1, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MAY 1: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors and Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans look on in Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 1, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Warriors enter Game 5 with a 3-1 lead over the Pelicans, and a chance to move on to the Conference Finals with a win on Tuesday night.

The Warriors messed around a bit in Game 3 with a starting lineup that didn’t make much sense.

Steve Kerr decided to put the Hamptons Five on the floor as his starting lineup in Game 4, and that resulted in a dominant 26-point victory.

According to statistics gathered by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, the starters (AKA The Death Lineup) had an offensive rating of 130.1, a defensive rating of 66.5, a net rating of +63.6, and a plus-minus of +26 in 18 minutes together in Game 4.

Those numbers helped Kerr make the easy decision to stick with that starting lineup in Game 5 with an opportunity to close out the Pelicans at home.

This has been a see-saw series, so there is a decent chance that New Orleans brings a much better effort in Game 5.

The Warriors blew out the Pelicans in Game 1, New Orleans was much more competitive in Game 2, and they finally broke through for a win in Game 3. The rhythm of the series suggests that Game 5 will be a tight matchup after an uncompetitive loss in Game 4, but it looks like the Pelicans simply don’t have the firepower to match up with a focused Golden State team.

Houston plays before this game will tip off, and they can clinch a series victory on Tuesday as well.

The Warriors would love to pick up an easy victory over New Orleans in Game 5 and not give the Rockets an advantage of some extra rest before the Western Conference Finals.

Next: Warriors #ThrowbackThursday: Game 3 vs. Pelicans (2015)

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Game Details

Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Pelicans

Tip-Off: Sunday, May 8, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. PDT

Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

TV: TNT

Radio: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Radio Network

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