Warriors beat Spurs in 5, face Pelicans in Western Conference semifinals

After a dizzying third-quarter display of passing ended in a wide-open three-pointer from Draymond Green on Tuesday night, Stephen Curry, straight-faced, leaned back in his courtside seat, touched thumb to index finger and flicked his right wrist. It was fitting that a player prone to far more animated bench celebrations opted for a businesslike signal of approval. Two nights after they raised questions about their approach in a Game 4 loss in San Antonio, the Warriors returned to their blueprint — extra passes, efficient shooting, stingy defense — to close out the first round with a 99-91 win over the Spurs. San Antonio cut a 16-point deficit to two with 57.