Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors to a crucial home victory against the New Orleans Pelicans. The final score of 120-109 moved the Warriors into the sixth and final play-off spot in the Western Conference, surpassing the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Curry’s exceptional performance included 39 points and eight three-pointers, while teammate Klay Thompson contributed five three-pointers in a 17-point haul. Despite falling behind by 20 points in the first half, the Warriors made a stunning comeback in the second half, outscoring the Pelicans 74-46 and securing their spot in the play-offs.
The Pelicans, who had won their previous five games, were led by Brandon Ingram’s 26 points and took advantage of 14 turnovers in the first half. However, Curry and Thompson’s impressive performance from beyond the arc allowed the Warriors to take the lead and secure the win.
The Memphis Grizzlies, who are second in the Western Conference, also extended their winning streak to seven games with a 113-108 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic, led by Desmond Bane’s 31 points.
In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics suffered a 130-111 defeat to the Washington Wizards, damaging their chances of moving ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks into top spot. The Celtics face the Bucks on Thursday, while the Wizards are battling to make the top 10. Teams that finish from seventh to 10th go into the play-in tournament, which decides the final two play-off places in each conference.
In another game, the Atlanta Hawks strengthened their play-off hopes with a 120-118 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by Dejounte Murray’s 29 points, including five in the final two minutes.
The defending NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, have five games remaining in the regular season and will be looking to continue their impressive performance in the play-offs.
