The One Always Getting Burned Is Smith's Butt

That night, the Pelicans and Warriors continued their battle at the New Orleans Arena.

The Pelicans carried over their strong form from the previous game and stayed locked in a stalemate with the Warriors throughout the first half.

Just like in the first two games of the series, the turning point came in the Warriors' signature third quarter.

This time, though, the one who erupted wasn't Curry, but Thompson.

Cole rolled out the Small Ball Lineup at the start of the second half, and Thompson thrived in it. He hit six three-pointers in the quarter and scored 20 points.

Led by him, the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 42-27 in that quarter.

There were also plenty of Controversial Calls in the quarter. More than one of Green and Barnes's Moving Screens went uncalled.

The Pelicans' new tactics allowed them to keep pace with the Warriors, but it was difficult for them to turn the game around.

Especially Jokic's weaknesses on the defensive end and the Small Ball Lineup's lack of experience—neither was something that could be changed overnight.

In the end, the Pelicans failed to reverse the situation and lost Game 4, 101-113.

Thompson scored a team-high 40 points for the Warriors.

His eruption gave the Warriors a 3-1 series lead and Match Point.

Before the game was even over, fans on the hotline were already buzzing with discussion.

"I heard that after Thompson's Nike China Tour, fans over there gave him the nickname Buddha. By their way of saying it, Thompson's performance tonight was Buddha's Light Shines."

"The Pelicans defended Curry well tonight. Tang even guarded him one-on-one for a stretch, but Thompson became the deciding factor."

"Is no one going to complain about Green's screens? He was practically walking into his screens, and the referees acted like they didn't