NBA playoffs live: Steve Kerr makes puzzling coaching decision, starting JaVale McGee in Game 3

JaVale McGee barely played in the first two games of the series against the Pelicans, but he was in the starting lineup Friday. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

Follow along with live coverage of tonight’s Game 3 between the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans (Warriors lead, 2-0), and then Game 3 between the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz (series tied, 1-1). This post will update frequently. Catch up on Thursday’s games here.

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Nothing went right for the Warriors in the first quarter.

The decision to start JaVale McGee backfired, allowing the Pelicans to race out to a 30-21 lead after one. Golden State started 9 for 25, including 1 for 7 from three-point range. New Orleans, on the other hand, went 12 for 23 from the floor and 6 for 10 from three – numbers that improved to 14 for 25 and 7 for 11 as the Pelicans opened their lead to 36-21 to begin the second.

After controlling most of the first two games, the Warriors had to know New Orleans would come out with a desperate mindset to begin Game 3, as a third loss in a row would all but end their season. Golden State, however, has done nothing to slow New Orleans down thus far.

The Warriors had great success playing with a small-ball lineup when Stephen Curry was out in Game 1 and coming off the bench in Game 2.

So when Curry entered the starting lineup for Game 3, Golden State … went big?

In a confusing move, the Warriors started JaVale McGee – who had started all five games against the San Antonio Spurs before being benched for all but garbage time in Game 1 and all of Game 2 – against the Pelicans in Game 3.

Playing McGee against the best big man in the league, Anthony Davis, seemed like an odd move, especially after he didn’t play any kind of a role in the first two games. One line of thinking is that Warriors Coach Steve Kerr might have wanted to have someone out there to take early fouls against Davis. But, in that case, he could’ve just gone with Kevon Looney, who played rotation minutes in the first two games of the series.

Starting McGee also meant sending Andre Iguodala to the bench, after he’d done a terrific job limiting Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic in the first two games.

Whatever the intended result, it didn’t work out to a good start for the Warriors, who trail midway through the first quarter.

The Golden State Warriors spent the regular season leaving people wondering if a team could now contend with them. At times, plenty of people thought they weren’t even the favorites to win the title.

Entering their eighth game of this postseason, however — Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal against the New Orleans Pelicans — those questions have been answered. Golden State, as it has been since the moment Kevin Durant arrived in the summer of 2016, is the massive favorite to win the title.

Why? Because the way they sleepily moved through the regular season (en route to 58 wins, by the way) wasn’t because Golden State has lost a step collectively. Instead, as Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry told reporters before Game 3, it was because the Warriors were bored.

They aren’t anymore.

“This is a team that just won a championship, and seems to be putting it all together right now,” Gentry said. “It seems they were a little bit bored with the regular season, but right now they seem to be all locked in.”

The Warriors remain unique in that they have four of the best 15 or so players in the NBA. No other team has more than two.

When the playoffs arrive, talent usually wins out. Golden State would fall short this season only if injuries diminished that talent advantage, or if the malaise with which they played the regular season carried over to the playoffs.

Stephen Curry returned in Game 2 of this series, getting Golden State’s core rotation back on the court for the first time in two months, and their play through the first seven games of these playoffs has proven the malaise is gone now that the stakes are bigger.

The result is Golden State has returned to its previous status as overwhelming favorites to win the title.

Friday’s schedule and results: