The Golden State Warriors grabbed a commanding lead 3-1 series lead in their Western Conference semifinals matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. Star forward Kevin Durant lead the way with a game-high 38 points to push the Warriors to a comfortable 118-92 win on Sunday afternoon.

Following the game, Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry conceded to Durant being able to continually get his way offensively on the court due to what he's proven throughout his career.

“He's a MVP and a MVP of the Finals. I think that kind of speaks for itself. You have to give up something to these guys. The thing that you are going to shut down everything that they do is really unrealistic so you got to decide what you can live with. It doesn't matter who you play on KD he's going to have the best numbers. I think Jrue does the best job of making him earn them. Obviously, it is hard when you are a 6'4″ guy and you are playing with a guy who is really his wingspan is 7-foot-1. We just got to make him shoot those shots over the top.”

Durant has continued to prove throughout the playoffs that he is one of the league's premier offensive talents averaging 27.3 points on 47.5 percent shooting from the field with 8.1 rebounds per game. This has seen him score more than 20 points in each of the nine games that the Warriors have played in the playoffs this season.

The 29-year-old has taken that up a notch against the Pelicans averaging 28.8 points on 49.4 percent shooting from the field. He has been a mismatch nightmare for New Orleans due to his offensive skill set and size that make it difficult for any defender to guard him let alone point guard Jrue Holiday as Gentry suggest.

If the Pelicans hope to have any realistic chance of coming back in the series against the Warriors, it will have to firstly include Durant at the forefront of any defensive game plan. However, this appears to be heading to an inevitable second-round playoff exit for New Orleans.