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Who: Golden State Warriors (12-2) at Charlotte Hornets (4-12)
Where: Time Warner Cable Arena — Charlotte, NC
When: Friday, 7 p.m. EST
TV: Fox Sports South, NBA League Pass
It has been two weeks since Charlotte last won a basketball game. It's been a pretty rough go for the team. From dealing with injuries (see Gary Neal Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Marvin Williams) to Steve Clifford saying that the team's biggest signing of the offseason, Lance Stephenson, is not yet a star as he continues to bench him for entire fourth quarters.All of this has led to the team having one of the worst records in the Association, hardly the return to Charlotte the Hornets had in mind.
Now, having lost their last seven games, Charlotte looks to stop their slump against the Golden State Warriors, who have the second-best record in the league, and defeated the Hornets 112-87 the day after the Hornets' last win.
A big reason for the Warriors' success this season has been because of Charlotte's own Steph Curry.
Yeah, Curry is playing out of his mind lately. Don't believe me or those Vines? What about this tweet from the Warriors' official Twitter account?
Past 2 games for Steph Curry 68 points, 21-of-32 FG, 14-of-19 3FG, 15 assists, 11 boards in 61 minutes. Safe to say he likes playing in FL.
— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) November 27, 2014
In their last three games, the Hornets have given up 38 3-pointers and allowed opponents to shoot 46.3% from deep. Meanwhile, the Warriors have three players shooting more than 40% from 3-point land (Curry, fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson, and former North Carolina standout Harrison Barnes). As a team, the Warriors are shooting just under 50% from the floor and average the third-most points per game, fourth-most assists per game, second-most assists per game and have the eighth-best scoring defense in the NBA. All of this is without David Lee, who has been out all year due to injuries.
So, why should Hornets' fans have any hope for a victory tonight? Well, the Warriors have lost 11 of their last 15 road games against the Hornets, and Charlotte swept the Warriors just a year ago. Additionally, the last Hornets' win came on a Friday night against a team few gave them a chance against (Phoenix). So why not tonight?
Kemba Walker could end up being the key for the team tonight. Charlotte is 3-0 this season when he scores more than 18 points in a game, as opposed to just 1-12 when he does not.
If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how Clifford deals with the injuries the team has with Neal, MKG and Williams not able to go tonight, and to see if Stephenson gets minutes late in the game.
If you need more Warriors coverage, make sure you check out Golden State of Mind.
UPDATE: Gary Neal is officially out for tonight's game. Marvin Williams is listed as doubtful, while Kemba Walker and P.J. Hairston are both probable.