National Basketball Association
Golden State 125, New Orleans 107
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, March 14, 2016
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #28 Kevin Scott, #59 Gary Zielinski
Attendance: 19596

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Andrew Bogut insists making length-of-the-court "heaves" toward the basket at the end of quarters contributed to his ugly 1-for-22 marksmanship on 3-point attempts over the first seven years of his career. So he stopped doing it.

The pickier approach appears to be working.

Bogut ignited a third-quarter runaway by making the first 3-point shot he attempted in three years Monday night, sending the Golden State Warriors on the way to their 60th win of the season, a 125-107 thumping of the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Warriors' league-record 49th consecutive home victory spanning two seasons also was the 17th in their past 18 meetings with New Orleans, which was Golden State's first playoff victim en route to the NBA championship last year.

The Warriors, who went 67-15 last season, improved to 60-6 -- the fastest team in NBA history to reach 60 victories. While making Steve Kerr the first coach to record 60 wins in each of his first two seasons, they also became the first since the 2007-09 Boston Celtics to win 60 times in consecutive years.

"Draymond (Green) gave me the (game) ball," Kerr proudly disclosed afterward. "I reminded him that Luke (Walton, the Warriors' interim coach while Kerr recovered from back surgery) won most of the games this year. I want to thank the NBA for giving me all those wins."

The Pelicans (24-42) lost for the eighth time in nine games. However, they hung within 50-48 into the 10th minute of the second quarter before the Warriors, getting hoops from four players, used a late 9-2 burst to open a 59-50 halftime advantage.

The second half was never closer.

Bogut's 3-pointer, his first since March 8, 2013, came in desperation from 24 feet as the 24-second clock was winding down. The 7-footer sank just one of the first 22 long-range attempts in his career until making the past two -- the only two he has attempted in the past four seasons.

"The international three was something I did in my younger days," the Australian said. "Not too much anymore. I don't want to overreact too much."

Kerr, who has been critical of Green's 3-point shooting at times, had no problem seeing Bogut try his luck.

"He's actually a pretty good shooter," the coach said. "I would actually like to see him shoot a little bit more. I think he can make some. Maybe not the threes."

The 3-pointer put Golden State up 70-55 and was followed almost immediately by a block on Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham's three-footer in the lane.

The back-to-back crowd-pleasers triggered a 13-0, game-breaking run, one that included additional 3-pointers from Klay Thompson and Green.

Interestingly, the Warriors uncharacteristically had made just three 3-pointers before Bogut stunned the Pelicans with his perimeter shot. Golden State went on to finish 12-for-25 (48 percent) from 3-point range.

Warriors star Stephen Curry celebrated his 28th birthday with a game-high 27 points, including four 3-pointers. He scored 40 and 53 points in Golden State's first two meetings with the Pelicans this season.

Curry's only 3-pointer of the first half gave him and backcourt partner Thompson 526 for the season, allowing them to break their previous NBA record set last year.

Thompson finished with two 3-pointers and 18 points in all.

Green recorded a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Warriors, who have won four in a row to open a six-game homestand.

Bogut totaled just five points in 15 minutes, but three were special.

"It seemed to energize the team," Kerr said. "The bench was going crazy, and the crowd was going nuts.

"Just one of those lucky plays that kind of gets you going."

The Warriors shot 58 percent from the field while holding New Orleans to 37.6 percent.

"I thought the end of the second quarter is where it really started," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of his team's downfall.

New Orleans missed four of its last five shots in the first half, then went 1-for-15 to start the third quarter.

"You can't do that against that team," Gentry said, "because they're going to find a way to score."

All-Star Anthony Davis struggled through a 6-for-20 shooting night, but he managed 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans, who have lost three straight at the start of a four-game trip.

Davis was harassed into 4-for-20 shooting when New Orleans opened the season against the Warriors on Oct. 27.

"They don't miss shots," Davis said of the Warriors. "When you can't score on the other end, the lead just gets larger and larger. It's a scary sight."

Guard Toney Douglas matched Davis' 22-point total and added a game-high eight assists for the Pelicans, while reserve forward Ryan Anderson had 19 points.

NOTES: Asked after the game which was tougher, his first 60-win season or his second, Warriors coach Steve Kerr responded, "I guess the first 60, because this year, I didn't even have to show up for the first 39." ... Before the game, the NBA announced Warriors PG Stephen Curry won his fifth Western Conference Player of the Week award of the season, this one for the seven-day period ending Sunday. Curry averaged 30.5 points in four consecutive Warriors wins. ... Curry improved to 2-2 in NBA games played on his birthday. ... Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, a Warriors assistant last season, fell to 19-12 in games against Golden State as a head coach. Many of those wins came while he and Kerr, then an executive, worked together for the Phoenix Suns.
Top Game Performances
 
New Orleans   Golden State
Anthony Davis 22 Scoring Stephen Curry 27
Toney Douglas 8 Assists Stephen Curry 5
Anthony Davis 12 Rebounds Draymond Green 12
Anthony Davis 10 Free Throws Made Stephen Curry 3
Alonzo Gee 4 Steals Harrison Barnes 2
Anthony Davis 2 Blocks Draymond Green 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New Orleans 107 37.6 7-25 30-34 18 40 3 14 9
Golden State 125 58.0 12-25 19-23 30 46 6 6 18
Upcoming Games
  • Golden State will play their next game at home against New York. The Warriors have a W/L % of .900 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Sacramento. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .360 after a win and .366 after a loss.