(Associated Press Photo)
Long before tipoff, Stephen Curry swished his routine tunnel shot on the second try. Once the game began, the two-time MVP stood along the bench anxiously waiting for his turn, shaking his legs and clapping his hands with nervous energy and anticipation.
Then — mouthpiece dangling, of course — Curry finally entered at the 4:20 mark of the first quarter to a roaring ovation from the Oracle Arena crowd and immediately got to work. He knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing 11 seconds later and was off and running in Golden State’s 121-116 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.
“It was an eternity it felt like, for sure,” Curry said. “When the lights come back on after the starting lineups you’re usually in the go kind of mind frame. I had to kind of pace myself and be patient with it. It seemed like it took forever but it was a good feeling to get back out on the floor and just let loose and have fun.”
Curry came off the bench to score 28 points in a triumphant return from a knee injury and nearly six weeks off, and the Warriors held off Anthony Davis and the pesky Pelicans to go ahead 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinals.
All is right with the Warriors again now that No. 30 is back on the floor — even as a backup.
“It brought a lot of life to the building, a lot of life to our team’s spirit. Pretty fitting for sure,” Draymond Green said of Curry’s immediate 3.
Kevin Durant scored 29 points with a huge 3-pointer with 3:10 to play, to go with seven assists and six rebounds in Golden State’s franchise-record 14th consecutive postseason victory at Oracle Arena. Green contributed 20 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds while battling Davis on both ends all night.
Davis finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Pelicans, who also got 22 points and 12 assists from Rajon Rondo.
“It was tough,” Davis said. “We were in it the whole game.”
Andre Iguodala converted a snazzy three-point play with 6:41 left when he flipped the ball up and it came back down and through the net as he was fouled by Rondo, then Golden State pulled away.
The best-of-seven series resumes with Game 3 on Friday at New Orleans.
Curry shot 8 for 15 with five 3-pointers and grabbed seven rebounds in 27 minutes. He let it fly for a 30-foot 3 in the closing minute of the third.
“He’s going to score,” New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said.
The Warriors were focused on keeping their edge after a blowout Game 1 win.
Just the energy Curry brings helped that cause.
The whole place came alive when he made his first appearance on the floor.
“That was a special moment when Steph checked into the game,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
Curry had been sidelined since spraining his left knee March 23, the same day he came back from a six-game absence with a right ankle injury.
A’S DROPPED
Nelson Cruz hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth inning, Dee Gordon had five hits, and Felix Hernandez pitched six solid innings to propel the Seattle Mariners to a 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.
A gritty start by A’s right-hander Andrew Triggs that kept his team in a 1-1 deadlock through four taut innings at Safeco Field unraveled in the fifth. With two outs and two runners on, Cruz hammered Triggs’ first pitch over the fence in left-center to give Seattle a lead it would not relinquish.
The Mariners held on for their third consecutive victory and sixth in their last seven.
Seattle closer Edwin Diaz struck out two in a shutout ninth to notch his majors-leading 12th save, protecting a quality start by Hernandez (4-2), who gave up three runs and three hits while striking out seven and walking four.
Jed Lowrie gave Oakland a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his seventh home run of the season, but the Mariners answered in the second. After Kyle Seager led off with a ground-rule double, Mike Zunino lined a game-tying double out of the reach of A’s left fielder Matt Joyce to knot the game at 1.
HOSMER HOMER STUNS GIANTS
Eric Hosmer’s impact on San Diego’s offense had been minimal after he signed a $144 million contract with the Padres as a free agent this offseason.
A tiebreaking, opposite-field home run into the swirling winds at AT&T Park could be the spark the veteran first baseman has been looking for.
Hosmer homered off Giants closer Hunter Strickland with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting San Diego to a 3-2 victory over San Francisco on Tuesday night. Hosmer also tripled earlier and scored, and Christian Villanueva hit his ninth home run of the season in the Padres’ third win in 10 games.
“It’s uplifting,” Hosmer said. “We feel like we’ve been playing good enough to win these games, but not really finishing and sealing the deal. It felt good to put the team ahead.”
Kirby Yates (1-0) retired three batters for the win. Brad Hand, who took the loss after giving up three runs in the ninth on Monday, pitched the ninth for his seventh save.
The Giants retired 10 consecutive batters before Hosmer connected on a 2-1 pitch from Strickland (2-1). It was Hosmer’s third home run with the Padres.
