In a physical game they never trailed, the Warriors pulled away from the Hornets with a decisive fourth quarter.
Brandin Podziemski bounced back from his worst game in weeks to log 19 points and 10 rebounds and Steph Curry returned to his hometown with 21 points and 10 dimes. The Warriors (33-28) never trailed Charlotte in a 119-101 victory on the first end of a back-to-back.
Podziemski briefly exited with a leg injury before returning and Gary Payton II got knocked out of the contest after colliding heads with LaMelo Ball. Draymond Green (team-best +20) picked up a flagrant and technical foul on the same play as well.
For the first time this season, the Warriors had three players record double-doubles — Curry, Podziemski and Green. Buddy Hield also chipped in a team-high 22 points off the bench.
Jimmy Butler returned after missing the 76ers game with back spasms, but he uncharacteristically struggled to prop up Golden State’s bench unit. Butler took only seven shots in the game, preferring to create for others.
When Curry exited in the first quarter, the Warriors led 24-12. Then Tidjane Salaun hit three 3-pointers against Butler and the bench, part of a 14-4 that cut the lead to two.
That the game was ever so close wasn’t a good sign for Golden State. They destroyed the Hornets, 128-92, a week ago and Charlotte has the second-worst record in the league. There were moments in the first quarter where the Hornets were hardly running back on defense.
The Warriors still had plenty of options to separate. The offense opened up with Curry on the floor, attracting Charlotte’s defense like a magnet.
Curry found Quinten Post for an above-the-break 3 in a pick-and-pop as two defenders swarmed to him. Then Post made an extra pass to Buddy Hield for a 3 before Curry drove and kicked to him again for a second triple.
Curry dished nine assists in the first half alone, sharing the ball as Charlotte swarmed to him. The Warriors assisted on 19 of their 21 made field goals, taking a 58-49 lead into halftime. The Warriors not named Steph Curry shot 6-for-23 (26%) from deep.
Four minutes into the second half, Podziemski got up gimpy after sinking a floater in the lane. He exited and headed straight to the training room, grimacing and favoring his right leg.
Podziemski had done a solid job defensively on LaMelo Ball, continuing the trend of being up to the task as Golden State’s top point-of-attack defender.
The Warriors needed to play Gary Payton II more to slow down Ball without Podziemski, but he quickly got hit in the head while taking a charge on Ball.
After the officials missed a clear traveling call on Ball, Steve Kerr picked up a technical foul. At that point, Hield was trying to chase him around as the Warriors clung to a six-point lead. Then Draymond Green got assessed a flagrant foul for striking Salaun in the neck on a box-out plus a technical.
Ball capped a seven-point possession with a one-legged 3. It would have been an eight-point trip if Ball made his technical free throw.
Podziemski returned to the game late in the third and Hield nailed back-to-back 3s to push the Warriors’ lead back to double digits. Butler added a 3 before Ball sank a step-back buzzer-beater over Hield and Podziemski.
The start of the fourth quarter was danger time for the Warriors, with Curry on the bench. Against the Sixers, Golden State chased the win by inserting him just two minutes into the final frame.
Hield and Podziemski bought Curry more rest time with a slew of 3s. After Podziemski’s third 3 of the quarter, Curry stood up on the bench and waved a hand towel in celebration.
When Curry returned for the stretch run, the Warriors led by 16. They didn’t blow Charlotte out enough for him to take the fourth quarter off, but they weren’t exactly high-leverage minutes, either. He should still be fresh for Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden.