Golden State Warriors get defensive in Charlotte vs. Hornets

The Golden State Warriors put the clamps on the Charlotte Hornets early to steal a win at the Spectrum Center on Wednesday.

The reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors locked down defensively Wednesday on the road at the Spectrum Center, earning the 101-87 victory over Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets.

The Dubs improve their regular season record to 20-6, further securing their place as the second seed in the Western Conference. They will have the opportunity to push their current win streak to six on Friday when they visit Little Caesars Arena to play Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons.

Friday night’s matchup will conclude Golden State’s 6-game road trip. The Dubs will head back to Oracle Arena for a 2-game homestand that will feature Oakland-native Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers next Monday and former Warriors forward Harrison Barnes and the Dallas Mavericks next Thursday.

Kevin Durant led all scorers Wednesday night at the Spectrum Center, dropping in 35 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and two blocks in 36 minutes. He took on a larger scoring load with Stephen Curry out of commission with an ankle injury, shooting 13-of-28 from the field (46.4 percent), 3-of-10 from behind the arc (30.0 percent) and 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

Klay Thompson was the only other starter to score in double-digits, finishing with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists on 9-of-14 shooting from the field (64.2 percent) and 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc (57.1 percent). He was also a team-high +18 in 36 minutes of play.

Nick Young added 10 points, one rebound and one steal in 16 minutes off the bench, shooting 3-of-6 from the field (50.0 percent), 2-of-5 from behind the arc (40.0 percent) and 2-of-4 from the free throw line (50.0 percent). He was a +16.

Durant wasn’t the only one to take on a more significant role with the Warriors due to Curry’s absence: Warriors two-way contract player Quinn Cook rejoined the team after playing the past few games with the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors, tallying eight points, three rebounds and three assists as a starter.

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Jordan Bell also got the start in the place of Draymond Green, recording five rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 20 minutes.