Stephen Curry stars as Golden State beat New Orleans
Last Updated: 19/04/15 9:44am
Stephen Curry scored 34 points as the Golden State Warriors opened their NBA play-off series with a 106-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The MVP candidate matched Anthony Davis shot for shot in a battle between two of the league's best young players, with Curry's top-seeded Warriors team coming out on top of an exciting Western Conference battle.
They stormed into a 28-13 lead by the end of the first period and were 18 points in front going into the final 12 minutes, but Davis made sure the Pelicans remained in the hunt for a win until the closing moments.
Curry finished with 13-of-25 shooting, though he was just four-for-13 from three-point range - he also had five assists and four rebounds.
Davis went one better with 35 points, hitting 13-of-23 shots, and he also pulled down seven rebounds and blocked four shots, but his supporting cast was not as strong as Curry's.
All five Warriors starters reached double figures in scoring, Klay Thompson adding 21 points, but it was Curry who still made most of the headlines.
"I was locked in and focused the whole night," Curry said. "In those situations, you want to get the crowd back into it. There's a weird kind of tension, especially in the second half when they made a couple runs. But in the playoffs, you have to expect anything. And whenever you're on the floor, just try to make an impact."
James Harden scored 24 points for the second-seeded Houston Rockets as they powered to a 118-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks to open their first-round series.
Seven Rockets players scored in double figures in the opening game of the Texas rivalry series, while Dirk Nowitzki managed 24 points for Dallas in a losing effort.
In the Eastern Conference, the second-seeded Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 103-91 to take a 1-0 lead in their series as Derrick Rose made a triumphant return to the post-season after three years away.
Rose scored 23 points and had seven assists for the Bulls, who were led by Jimmy Butler with 25 points.
There was one small surprise as the fifth-seeded Washington Wizards took game one of their series against the Raptors in Toronto, winning 93-86 in overtime.
Veteran Paul Pierce scored 20 points for the Wizards, while Bradley Beal stuffed the stat-sheet with 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists.