Instant Reaction: Warriors Turn Back Furious Pelicans Rally, Open Playoffs With A 106-99 Victory

The Golden State Warriors' dominant run through the 2014-15 NBA regular season carried over in a big way for the first three quarters of Saturday's Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the New Orleans Pelicans in Oakland.

Stephen Curry dazzled, the defense held serve in stifling fashion, and the Warriors entered the fourth quarter with a commanding 84-66 lead.

However, the Pelicans fought back in a huge way with a furious 4th quarter rally to cut the deficit to four in the closing seconds, but the Warriors staved off New Orleans' charge just enough to secure a hair-raising 106-99 win in the series opener.

Key Stat:

The young New Orleans Pelicans looked wide-eyed and out of place after the opening tip, falling behind 28-13 after 12 minutes at Oracle. New Orleans righted the ship in a major way as the game hit its later stages, but they just couldn't overcome what was an extremely sloppy opening quarter.

Golden State MVP:

There doesn't seem to be a stage big enough NBA MVP favorite Stephen Curry to showcase his wares. Curry was the best player on the court all day long, posting 34 points on 13-of-25 shooting (4-of-13 from beyong the arc) while keeping the Warriors' beyond-brilliant rotation passing humming along.

New Orleans MVP:

It was Anthony Davis against the world for most of Saturday's game, as the first-time playoff participant did everything he could do and perhaps more to will his Pelicans back into the contest (35 points, 7 rebounds). He keyed a huge 4th quarter rally that put a scare in the Dubs, but it wasn't quite enough to bring home the win.

What’s Next?

The teams return to Oracle Arena for Game 2 on Monday night. Tipoff is at 7:30 PST, as the Warriors look to hold serve and head to the Big Easy up two games to love.