Thompson paces Warriors' rout of Pelicans

Klay Thompson scored 11 of his game-high 27 points in a 25-2 second-quarter flurry Saturday night that propelled the Golden State Warriors to a 123-101 blowout victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals in Oakland, California. In winning their 13th consecutive playoff game at home, the Warriors once again played without injured guard Stephen Curry, who had been considered a possibility for the game but was held out in a late pre-game decision. Curry is expected to play when the best-of-seven series resumes with Game 2 in Oakland on Tuesday. “He'll incorporate himself back in our offense, we don't need to work to get him involved,” Warriors centre Draymond Green told TNT. The sixth-seeded Pelicans, coming off a four-game sweep over Portland in the first round, shot 60 percent in the first quarter and led by as many as five points before the Warriors ran off in a dominant second-quarter performance. Golden State led just 51-46 with 7:22 left in the first half before Thompson (11), Kevin Durant (six) and Green (six) accounted for 23 of the 25 points in the runaway burst that produced a 76-48 lead in the final minute of the second period. The second-seeded Warriors ran up a franchise-record 76 points in the first half, and the Pelicans, who have never won a second-round playoff series, didn't threaten over the final 24 minutes. “We knew we had to come out, get the ball moving and get everyone on the floor involved,” Green said. “We knew if we did that, we could pick them apart.” Thompson hit 10 of his 22 field-goal attempts and four of his nine three-pointers, helping Golden State outscore New Orleans 33-24 from beyond the arc. The Pelicans made just eight of their 25 3-point attempts (32 percent). Durant had a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Green recorded his fourth career playoff triple-double with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists for the Warriors, who have beaten the Pelicans in 25 of their past 27 head-to-heads, including a 4-0 sweep in the 2015 first round. Andre Iguodala added 12 points, Quinn Cook 11 and Shaun Livingston 10 for Golden State, which advanced to the second round by eliminating San Antonio 4-1. Anthony Davis recorded a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Pelicans, who had won 126-120 in their most recent trip to Oakland earlier in the month. E'Twaun Moore had 15 points, Jordan Crawford 14, Jrue Holiday 11 and Rajon Rondo nine to go with 11 assists and eight rebounds for New Orleans, which got out-shot 48.4% to 43.8. NAMPA/REUTERS

Thompson paces Warriors' rout of Pelicans

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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Thompson paces Warriors' rout of Pelicans

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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