Golden State Warriors at Charlotte Hornets notes and observations

It was very thoughtful of the Charlotte Hornets to make sure Dell Curry's son was in the house on the night they honored him. Unfortunately for the Hornets, the Warriors came away with the win to improve to 20-0 on the season.

Oh, and here are some thoughts on Wednesday night's game.

Cody Zeller has two gears: drive and park.

As for Wednesday night, Zeller was in full-drive mode, attacking the basket every chance he got. If Zeller had a lane, he would dash through it like an amphetamine'd up gazelle. Zeller finished with just six points on 2-for-6 shooting, but that wasn't as much as him missing shots as it was the Warriors snuffing out any lane penetration. Should Zeller develop a move to get the defense off-balance, he'll be able to have whatever he wants in the paint considering his length and athleticism.

(I'm fining myself one game check for unironically using "length and athleticism" in a sentence."

Kemba Walker had himself a night, but not in a good way

Playing against the Warriors is a tricky prospect. Not only are they an offensive juggernaut, but they're also downright stingy on defense. Unfortunately for the Hornets on a night they were also short Al Jefferson, Golden State kept Walker off of his game.

Walker shot just 0-for-8 at the half, and finished 2-for-16 at the end of the night with just four points to go with two assists and rebounds. This wouldn't have been so problematic had backup point guard Jeremy Lin being limited with illness, according to The Sporting News' Adi Joseph.

To spare Walker some wear, the Hornets mixed in Brian Roberts and even Jeremy Lamb at point guard to make up for it. Of course, playing Steph Curry and the Warriors is not the most favorable of matchups being so shorthanded.

Batum, Kaminsky stepped up

While the Hornets were somewhat limited with their option choices, a couple of players stood out.

The first being Nicolas Batum. Batum didn't shoot particularly well, making just six of his 15 shots. Yet, he still finished with eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Not only did Batum continue to help the team in other areas when his shot wasn't falling, but he also had a commanding presence on the court. With Walker struggling and Jefferson out, the team needed someone to step into that go-to guy role.

Frank Kaminsky also had a nice night. Being asked to go against players with the size of Mareese Speights has to be exhausting as a rookie, but Kaminsky did fine. Offensively, Kaminsky went 5-for-8 from the field, including 3-for-3 from three-point land. He did have four fouls, but that's understandable against the Warriors' frontcourt, and he didn't commit a single turnover. All-in-all, a nice night for the rookie

Steph Curry is as scary quiet as he is going off

You know Curry is going to get his points. When the Hornets held him to just 12 points and five assists in the first half, it felt like a small victory. Still, sometimes when you think you've got him, that's when he's most dangerous. And sure enough that became the case in the third quarter.

Curry played all 12-minutes in the third quarter that followed his father's ceremony. By the end of the frame, Curry had exploded for 28 points and shot a blistering 10-for-11 from the field, including 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. When it was all said and done, Curry got the entire fourth quarter off as the Warriors coasted off of a 21-point lead for the win.

The ridiculous thing is not only that you have to defend him from everywhere, but he's also so good working off of the ball as well. Calling Curry a "shooter" doesn't fully-describe him with the way that he moves off the ball, and works to get the ball when its been forced from his hands. He can beat you inside as well as outside, but he's so much more than a player who brings the ball up and hoists 25-footers. When you factor in his ability to make plays for others, he's quite the well-rounded player.

To make this Hornets-related, we haven't seen someone put up six 40-point games in the first 20-games of the season since Michael Jordan in 1987. Unfortunately, sometimes great players do incredible things to the team you follow.