By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com
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Result
The Hornets could not have started their four-game West Coast road trip any better, coming away with a convincing 111-100 win over the defending NBA Champion Warriors on Dec. 29 at Golden State. Dwight Howard led the way with a double-double (29 points, 13 rebounds) while also dishing out a career-high-tying seven assists. Six different Hornets finished scoring in double digits in a total team effort.
Turning Point
The Hornets took control of the game early in the third, using a 9-2 run to turn a 55-55 time into a 64-57 advantage. But these are the defending champs and Charlotte knew the Warriors weren’t about to go away easily on their home court. Golden State battled back to trim the Hornets lead to 84-81 with nine minutes left in the fourth when Charlotte hit another gear to put the game away. First Dwight Howard banked in a shot from the right elbow, then Frank Kaminsky hit a hook shot in the paint. Jeremy Lamb was able to steal the ball from Andre Iguodala on Golden State’s next possession and took it the length of the court to push the lead to 90-81. Following a David West turnover, it was Kaminsky who stepped up big again, connecting on a long-range three-pointer from the right side with the shot clock on his back to make it 93-81. After a West miss, Howard found Lamb inside where he connected to give Charlotte a 14-point cushion, 95-81, with 6:34 remaining. The Hornets would hold off the Warriors the rest of the way, only allowing them to cut the double-digit lead to single digits (99-90) once on the way to the win.
Hornets Player of the Game (Pick up your Dwight Howard gear here)
Dwight Howard dominated the contest, finishing with a double-double (game highs with 29 points, 13 rebounds) and adding a career-high-tying seven assists (four times; last 11/13/13 vs Philadelphia) and two steals. Howard became the third player in franchise history to record 25+ points, 12+ rebounds, 7+ assists and 2+ steals in a regular season game (Anthony Mason, 1997; Gerald Wallace, 2007). With seven defensive rebounds, Howard also became just the ninth player in NBA history with at least 9,000 defensive rebounds.
Warriors Player of the Game
Kevin Durant scored a team-high 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including 4-of-5 from long range. He also dished out six assists and grabbed four rebounds.
Game Notes
Dwight Howard (29 points) led four of five Hornets starters scoring in double digits - Kemba Walker, 16; Nic Batum, 15; and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, 12… Frank Kaminsky came off the bench to lead all reserves with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field… Jeremy Lamb rounded out Charlotte’s double-digit scorers with 11 points… The Hornets bench outscored Golden State’s, 39-29… Five Charlotte players grabbed at least six rebounds as the Hornets outrebounded the Warriors, 47-43… The Hornets forced 18 Warriors turnovers that they turned into 32 points. Charlotte turned the ball over 11 times leading to 11 Golden State points… The Hornets outscored the Warriors in the paint, 46-38… Charlotte totaled 18 second-chance points to Golden State’s 10.
Quote of the Night
“There was a lot to like. Our defense was really, really good. We got off to a slow start and the Warriors do what they do early in the game, but we just hung with it and stayed with our game plan. Got some big stops and that fueled our offense… Everybody played their part. It was a great, great win.” - Associate Head Coach Stephen Silas
Next Up
The Hornets four-game road trip continues with a 7 p.m. tip on Dec. 31 in Los Angeles against the Clippers. The game can be seen on Fox Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.