NBA wRap: Curry cooks up Warriors comeback vs Pelicans

MANILA, Philippines – Two former MVPs and one MVP candidate took the spotlight on the sixth day of the NBA playoffs.

LeBron James, Derrick Rose, and Stephen Curry all had stellar outings to lead their teams to victory.

Golden State Warriors 123 – 119 New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans were up 89-69 at the start of the fourth quarter, and then, the Warriors’ Steph Curry took over.

Steph Curry: pic.twitter.com/EQ1t9f3phj

— SB Nation (@SBNation) April 24, 2015

Curry finished the game with 40 points including a corner three that sent the game into overtime.

 

He opened the overtime period with another triple that gave Golden State the lead for good. Klay Thompson added 28 points as the the Warriors took a commanding 3-0 lead over the Pelicans.

Anthony Davis led New Orleans with 29 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 assists but missed a free throw late in regulation that would’ve given them a 4-point lead.

He did have this jaw-dropping put-back slam:

Cleveland Cavaliers 103 – 95 Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics had no answer for LeBron James and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 4-time MVP was dominant on both ends of the floor securing a 3-0 series lead.

 

James was all business in this game erasing a dunk attempt by Evan Turner and letting the wingman hear about it after saying, “Good, try”

 

Kevin Love added 23 points and 9 rebounds on 6/10 shooting from beyond the arc while Kyrie Irving had 13 points and 6 assists for the Cavs.

Oh and Uncle Drew nearly broke Avery Bradley’s ankles:

 

Turner led the C’s with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, but just got 5 points and two assists from super-sub Isaiah Thomas.

Chicago Bulls 113 – 106 Milwaukee Bucks

Derrick Rose is showing that he is indeed back leading the Chicago Bulls over the Milwaukee Bucks to take a 3-0 first round playoff series lead. The former MVP finished with 34 points 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. He also had this fancy twisting switcheroo layup.

 

But it was his backcourt partner, Jimmy Butler, who helped turn the tide to their favor in the second overtime period when he stole the ball from Giannis Antetokounmpo and converted on the other end. He finished the game with 24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and two assists.

“The Greek Freak” led the charge for the Bucks with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Kawhi Defensive Player of the Year

Twenty-three-year-old Kawhi Leonard was named the 2015 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

 

Leonard was in a tight race to win the award against Golden State forward Draymond Green. Although his offense has indeed progressed, “The Claw” was first and foremost an elite defender and was rewarded for his efforts on the unglamorous side of the floor.

He becomes only the third player in NBA history to win both a Finals MVP and a DPOY award. The other two are legends Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan.

– Rappler.com