Curry’s 40 lifts Golden State Warriors over Hornets for 20th Win

The Golden State Warriors improved to 20-0, defeating the Charlotte Hornets 116-99 in Buzz City.

On Dell Curry night, it was his son, Stephen Curry, who stole the show, scoring a game-high 40 points.

More from Warriors News

• 3x champion may come to regret forgoing Golden State Warriors reunion
• Golden State Warriors: History shows USA may need Stephen Curry for more than the Olympics
• Golden State Warriors villain pours on more pain to end USA’s World Cup
• Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry continues philanthropic efforts off the court
• The Dream starting 5 for the Warriors 5 years from now

On a night where even more eyes were on Curry, Klay Thompson took advantage and opened the game with three consecutive baskets. He led the way early on, scoring 15 points to the lead the way. The Warriors were able to move the ball and get everyone involved. Draymond Green finished the opening period with 5 assists. The end of the quarter was rather sloppy as the Warriors continued to turn the ball. Despite that, Golden State won the quarter 32-23.

The Warriors couldn’t quite get into the offensive rhythm that they had in the first, though there were some bright spots. Marreese Speights, who has struggled all season, came in and hit several jumpers and drew a charge. Once the starters came back in, Green’s passing and Curry’s allowed the Warriors to salvage the quarter, tying the quarter with the Hornets at 28 apiece.

At the half, Curry came out of the locker room early to watch and enjoy the on-court celebration of Dell Curry day. The former-Hornet sharpshooter was honored with a key to the city, who then thanked his family for pushing him to become the player that he was.

More from Blue Man Hoop

• 3x champion may come to regret forgoing Golden State Warriors reunion
• Golden State Warriors: History shows USA may need Stephen Curry for more than the Olympics
• 7 players Golden State Warriors might replace Klay Thompson with by the trade deadline
• Golden State Warriors villain pours on more pain to end USA’s World Cup
• Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry continues philanthropic efforts off the court

After seeing his father soak in the attention and love of the home crowd, the reigning MVP decided to take over. The third quarter was the Steph Curry show. He shot 10-11 from the field and 5-5 from beyond the arc, increasing his range with every shot, captivating everyone watching. He scored 28 of the Warriors’ 33 points, including 24 straight. Curry and Golden State won the period 33-21.

There was no need for the Warriors’ core rotation players to play the fourth quarter, except for a brief appearance by Klay Thompson. Walton went deep into his bench after Curry’s third quarter flurry put the game out of reach. The bench unit played sloppily, turning the ball over and allowing the Hornets to get good looks. The Hornets were able to win the quarter 27-23, but it didn’t make a difference.

Without Harrison Barnes again, Brandon Rush got the start, scoring 8 points on 3-4 shooting in a little over 20 minutes. That actually was tied for fourth-highest total on the team. No one outside of Curry and Thompson, who scored 21, finished in double-digits for Golden State. Green struggled offensively, scoring just 4 points with 5 turnovers, but he finished with 11 boards and 9 dimes.

Tale of the Tape

Warriors

• Field-goal percentage: 52.3% (46-88)
• Three-point percentage: 47.1% (16-34)
• Rebounds: 53
• Assists: 31
• Turnovers: 18

Hornets

• Field-goal percentage: 37.2% (35-94)
• Three-point percentage: 29% (9-31)
• Rebounds: 41
• Assists: 19
• Turnovers: 8

Good to Know

What’s on Tap

The Golden State Warriors will visit the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.