Warriors vs. Pelicans Game 3 Prediction: Stephen Curry's Return Gives New Orleans Little Hope

The New Orleans Pelicans are technically still alive in their second-round playoff series with the Golden State Warriors. After suffering two straight losses at Oracle Arena, the team heads home for Game 3 Friday night.

Any chance the Pelicans might’ve had of challenging the defending champions probably ended in their Game 2 defeat. Stephen Curry returned to the court for the first time in over five weeks, looking like he hasn’t missed a step.

The old adage says a series doesn’t truly begin until someone loses a game at home. What about when the already heavy favorite gets back their most important player?

Curry was the key in Golden State’s 121-116 victory that gave them a 2-0 series advantage. Playing just 27 minutes off the bench, he scored 28 points on eight-of-15 shooting. The point guard made five of his 10 threes, and the Warriors outscored the Pelicans by 26 points when he was on the court.

New Orleans hasn’t been nearly as impressive as they were in the first round when they swept the No.3 seed Portland Trail Blazers. Anthony Davis had four straight double-doubles, averaging 33.0 points on 21.3 shots per game. He’s totaled just 46 points on 44 shots against Golden State.

At stretches during the regular season, Davis performed like the best player in the NBA. New Orleans can’t compete with Golden State if their superstar plays like any other All-Star.

Perhaps playing in New Orleans will give Davis some life. He ended the Portland series with a 47-point, 10-rebound performance in front of the Pelicans’ home crowd. He shot 56.2 percent from the floor at home in the regular season, and Davis scored 35 points on 71.4 percent shooting in his only home game against the Warriors this year.

Now that Curry is back, the Pelicans will need to get something out of Jrue Holiday. The guard averaged 27.8 points per game in the first round, but he combined to score just 35 points on 38 shots in Games 1 and 2.

Curry will be back in the starting lineup, giving Golden State a major edge in the backcourt. Klay Thompson will almost certainly improve on the four-of-20 shooting performance he had in Game 2.

Kevin Durant leads the team with 28 points per game this postseason. Draymond Green leads the Warriors in every other notable statistical category, and he’s kept Davis in check with his defense.

All of that could mean Golden State is in for another big win.

The Warriors are 4.5-point favorites in Game 3, according to OddsShark, and the over/under is 232. The contest starts at 8 p.m. EDT on ESPN.

Prediction: Golden State over New Orleans, 115-110