The Golden State Warriors defeated the Charlotte Hornets 113-103 Wednesday at Spectrum Center.
The game didn’t come as easy to the Warriors (39-7) as the final score may indicate, as Golden State was behind for a good chunk of the second half of Wednesday’s contest. It wasn’t until midway through the final period that the Warriors were finally able to catch up and regain the lead — a lead they wouldn’t let go of for the final stretch. Kevin Durant was dominant in the winning effort, scoring a game-high 33 points in 37 minutes, while Steph Curry added 28 points of his own while shooting 6-of-12 from behind the arc. The two carried the load for most of the way, as they had to, with the five reserves who played off the bench Wednesday managing to score just a combined 18 points.
For the Hornets (23-23), the loss is their second in a row and drops them back down to .500 on the season. Kemba Walker did all he could, as he continues to make his case for the All-Star game, scoring a team-high 26 points and dishing out eight assists in 38 minutes. Nicolas Batum also put together a solid all-around night, posting 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes of his own. Charlotte badly missed starting center Cody Zeller (quad), however, as the three centers who played Wednesday struggled mightily. Roy Hibbert, Frank Kaminsky and Spencer Hawes shot a combined 7-of-24 (29 percent) from the field en route to scoring just 18 points.
Up next, the Warriors will head to Los Angeles on Saturday to take on the Clippers, while the Hornets will look to get back on the right track Friday in New York against the Knicks.
