The Golden State put their conference semi-final series with the New Orleans Pelicans in a stranglehold with a 118-92 blowout Game 4 victory on Sunday.
Kevin Durant led the way with a game-high 38 points, nine rebounds and five assists. It was his third 30-plus point performance of the 2018 playoffs.
The reigning Finals MVP looked determined to send the Pelicans a message from the first time he touched the ball and his teammate Draymond Green knew what kind of night Durant was in for right away.
"You could just tell that very first play - the way he came off that dribble handoff where his mindset was at," Green told reporters after the game.
"He got to his spot I think the first two plays and got a pull-up in the lane. That's what really gets him going - him getting in the lane getting to his pull-ups that what he love.
"So you could definitely see it."
Durant shot 15-for-27 overall from the field, terrorizing the New Orleans defence mainly in the mid-range. He took complete advantage of his length and size in Game 4 scoring 24 points when his primary defender was shorter than him according to ESPN Stats & Info - the most he's had in this series.
Alvin Gentry tried to put the taller and longer Anthony Davis on him in the second half to slow him down, but they did little to stop the zone Durant was in.
Durant drills it from deep and has 29 on the day!#DubNation 80 | #DoItBigger 64
— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2018
📺: #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/wBmBxjwGd5
"He's an MVP and an MVP of the Finals. I think that kind of speaks for itself," Gentry said post-game.
"You have to give up something to these guys. To think that you're just going to shut everything down that do is just really unrealistic.
"So it doesn't matter who you play on KD, he's probably going to have those kinds of numbers."
It's hard to say what motivated Durant on Sunday, maybe it was the fear of heading back to Oakland with the series tied at two, or he was inspired by the performance LeBron James put forth the night before.
Either way, the nine-time all-star seems to once again be playing his best basketball at the right time for the Warriors as they try to repeat as champions for the first time in franchise history.
