The Golden State Warriors defeated the Charlotte Hornets 119-101. The Warriors were coming off a major upset against the Philadelphia 76ers, who beat them over the weekend. So they needed to get a big win to recoup some of the momentum that they lost in the loss. Playing against the Hornets, one of the weakest teams in the NBA, was exactly what they needed.
Stephen Curry didn’t have a signature night, putting up 21 points (6-14 FG), three rebounds, 10 assists, one steal, and one block. Buddy Hield delivered a massive performance off the bench with 22 points (8-14 FG), five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Brandin Podziemski was another star who shined, delivering 19 points (6-16 FG), 11 rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The Hornets relied on Miles Bridges, who had 35 points (11-20 FG), nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. LaMelo Ball also put up strong numbers, with 25 points (8-21 FG), nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block. Mark Williams, the would-be Laker showed his skills, with 12 points (5-8 FG), 13 rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks.
The Warriors did not play well tonight at all. But fortunately for them, the Hornets were not able to capitalize on their off night. Wins like these are never pretty. But the Warriors will be glad to get a win after what was an embarrassing loss to the 76ers. Regardless of the performance, a win is a win.
With that being said, here are three key takeaways from the Warriors’ win over the Hornets.
Hornets’ Shooting Flounders Worse Than The Warriors
The Golden State Warriors had a rare off night shooting the ball, converting just 42.1% of their field goals, 36.0% of their shots from deep, and 87.5% of their free-throw attempts. For a team whose identity is how well they shoot the ball and the efficient brand of basketball they play, this was an anomaly for the Warriors. But for as bad as the Warriors were, the Hornets were even worse.
From the field, the Hornets converted just 39.5% of their attempts from the field, 27.5% of their shots from deep, and 66.7% of their free-throw attempts. This shows a systemic failure of the squad to capitalize on what was an opportunity presented to them on a golden platter. The Hornets had the chance to win, but just couldn’t be clinical enough to get it done.
The Hornets are one of the weakest teams in the NBA. But even some of the worst squads in the league have shown that they can capitalize when a much stronger opponent just doesn’t have it going. Their inability to do so only speaks to the gulf in class between them and the Warriors, as the Hornets continue to flounder as a franchise.
Hornets Rotation Can’t Score
The Hornets had just four players to score in double digits tonight: Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, and Tidjane Salaun. The quarter combined to score 82 of the Hornets’ 101 points. This means that eight of the Hornets’ rotation players combined to score just 19 points between them, with Jusuf Nurkic, Josh Green, Nick Smith Jr., and Damion Baugh being the only players actually to put up points.
The Hornets had four players who scored 0 points: Moussa Diabate, Malachi Flynn, Seth Curry, and Daquan Jeffries. This level of sheer-scoring incompetence is atrocious, even for a team on the Hornets’ level. No one is demanding that their rotation players drop double-digit numbers on a night like this, but to drop 0 points against a struggling Warriors team is unacceptable.
Coach Charles Lee will have to go back to the drawing board and see what needs to be fixed. Perhaps like Warriors coach Steve Kerr, he is playing too deep a rotation regularly and needs to whittle his core players down to a list of 8-9 to make sure that everyone he intends to play gets consistent minutes and can find their rhythm.
Warriors Force Hornets Into Costly Mistakes
The Golden State Warriors forced the Charlotte Hornets into 17 turnovers on the night. And they made sure to capitalize on these turnovers, scoring 16 points off the Hornets’ failed possessions. By contrast, the Warriors had just eight turnovers and gave up just four points off those turnovers.
While the Warriors didn’t have a strong night offensively, they forced the Hornets to have an even worse night offensively by playing some strong defense. The Warriors had 10 steals during the game, with their starting lineup combining for seven of those steals. This level of defensive stringency really helped Golden State eke out a win.
Giving up the ball 17 times in the game is never good, but doing so against a struggling Warriors team is practically taking the opportunity they give you and throwing it out the window. If the Hornets made protecting the ball a priority, we could be having an entirely different conversation about the team.
The Warriors will try to put this game behind them, despite the win. Their performance tonight was nothing like we have seen from them in the past few weeks after acquiring Jimmy Butler. Hopefully, the last two games can be considered a blip on the radar, and they get back to their best next time out.
Speaking of the next time out, the Warriors will travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks at 9 PM EST. Playing in the World’s Most Famous Arena, against a Knicks team that is looking to find their groove, the Warriors will be facing a major challenge.
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