SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Stephen Curry scored 28 points in his return from injury on Tuesday as the Golden State Warriors held off the New Orleans Pelicans 121-116 to stretch their lead in their NBA second-round playoff series.
The reigning champion Warriors took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series, which shifts to New Orleans for game three on Friday.
“It’s good to be back on the floor,” said Curry, who had been sidelined since March 23 with a sprained knee ligament suffered in his return from a right ankle injury.
He missed 16 games but looked more than ready when he entered the game with 4:20 left in the first quarter.
He promptly drained a three-pointer, connecting on eight of 15 shots from the floor, including five of 10 from three-point range. He pulled down seven rebounds with two assists and three steals.
Kevin Durant paced the Warriors with 29 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Draymond Green fell one rebound shy of a triple-double with 20 points, 12 assists and nine boards.
“Big win for us,” Curry said after a game that saw 13 lead changes, 11 of them in the first half.
Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists with Jrue Holiday added 24 points for the Pelicans.
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