Closers gonna close. Kevin Durant had a big fourth quarter and the Dubs escaped Charlotte with a 113-103 win at the end of a four-game road trip.
GAME LEADERS
Kevin Durant had 16 of his 33 points in the final period, leading the way during a critical 15-4 run that gave the Warriors the lead for good. That momentum changing run started after Charlotte’s Marco Belinelli knocked down his seventh free throw of the fourth quarter, giving the Hornets a five-point lead with 7:18 left in the game.
From there, Durant made his impact on the game, and he did much of his damage with free throws. The first-year Warriors star hit all 10 of his free throw attempts in the game, six in the fourth quarter. That was part of a committed effort for the Dubs to get to the line, as they attempted and made more free throws in the final period (14-for-15) than they did in the first three quarters combined (10-for-12).
Starting with their game-changing run in the fourth quarter, Durant and Stephen Curry scored 19 straight points for the Warriors, and what was looking like a second straight loss suddenly turned into a double-digit advantage for the Dubs. The Warriors out-scored Charlotte 38-23 in the fourth quarter, a stark contrast to the third period in which the Hornets erased a six-point halftime deficit and led by as many as 10 points.
While Durant and Curry (28 points) certainly led the way, James Michael McAdoo also stepped up to give the team a lift. Although his minutes have been inconsistent all season, the backup big man answered the bell and had a season-high tying eight points to accompany a season-high seven rebounds and two blocks.
The win wraps up a 3-1 road trip for the Warriors, who come back home to host the Clippers on Saturday ( Find Tickets) in a nationally televised primetime matchup at 5:30 p.m.