West Conf. Semis - Game 3: Golden State Warriors 100-119 New Orleans Pelicans - 5 Talking Points

#4 Nikola Mirotic makes his presence felt

Nikola Mirotic

Nikola Mirotic arriving from Chicago via a trade was a huge reason why the Pelicans were able to not only stay afloat but jump few teams in the Playoff race after DeMarcus Cousins got injured

His range as a stretch 4 allows Anthony Davis to play more freely as a center and also gives him more room to operate with. Mirotic was an underrated factor to the team's first-round sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers but in this series, he was going to go up against reigning Finals MVP Kevin Durant.

In the first two games, he combined for 27 points and 17 rebounds on 10-of-25 shooting from the field and 4-of-12 from 3-point range. In Game 3, he was much more efficient and more of a factor on the glass, a well-known weakness of the Warriors. He had 13 rebounds in Game 3 to go with his 16 points on a great efficiency of 50% (6-of-12) from the field and 60% (3-of-5) beyond the arc.

Mirotic knocking down shots forced the Warriors to react, which in turn, opened up other scoring opportunities for his teammates. His impact in this game is also quite evident from the his +/-. In Game 3, he was +14, whereas in Games 1 & 2, he was a -9.