Golden State Warriors may have just saved their season with huge comeback win

Down 20 to the New Orleans Pelicans with 39 seconds left in the first-half, the Golden State Warriors were well and truly on the brink of falling to the Western Conference’s eighth-seed. With the Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves holding the season tiebreak over the reigning champions, their chance for a top six seed was slipping by the wayside.

In a chippy battle at Chase Center on Tuesday night, the Warriors eventually composed themselves, outscoring the Pelicans 46-24 across the final 14 minutes to secure an 11-point win. It was a necessary comeback performance, led by their superstar Stephen Curry but aided by a plethora of his teammates.

The Golden State Warriors found a two-way rhythm in time to avoid disaster in a 120-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.

In a first-half marred by sloppy turnovers and dumb fouls, Golden State finally found their best offense in a 39-point third-quarter to explode back into the game. They still found themselves down 11 with less than two minutes to play in the period, but some big offensive rebounds from Kevon Looney, which led a pair of Curry triples, and a pickpocket steal from Gary Payton II that led to a Jordan Poole dunk, helped ignite the crowd and bring the Warriors within four.

It may have been their offense that catapulted them back into the game during the third period, yet it was the Warrior defense which ultimately kneecapped the Pelicans in the fourth. New Orleans scored just nine points in a near 10-minute span from early in the final period to the final minute of the ball game.

That was led by the ever-boisterous Draymond Green who played right on, and potentially even tipped over the edge during the first 24 minutes. Having already picked up a technical and then his fourth foul (one of which was a flagrant) 30 seconds into the second-half, the 33-year-old had no choice but to play in a more controlled manner as Steve Kerr allowed him to continue playing through the foul issues.

Curry led the Warriors offensively, his 39 points stamped by a barrage of threes in the second-half. He also added eight assists in a continuation of his delightful playmaking form, while Jordan Poole added 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting off the bench. Klay Thompson had 17, with Donte DiVincenzo and Jonathan Kuminga providing 13 apiece. The latter had started the game in place of Looney, taking the assignment of a red-hot Brandon Ingram.

The Pelicans star was a thorn for the Warriors all night, but he eventually ran out of steam and help as Golden State threw various defensive coverages at him. At one point New Orleans was 10-for-16 from three-point range, but their shooting percentages eventually dwindled as the Warriors took a stranglehold.

Golden State moves back into sixth for the moment with a 40-37 record, while creating some separation from the now 38-38 Pelicans. They should face a more comfortable task against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, but it goes without saying that no game can be taken lightly at this point of the season.