by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Charlotte Hornets at the Oracle Arena Monday night by a score of 111-101. The game was marked by the return of forward Harrison Barnes, Steph Curry and Brandon Rush. Barnes missed sixteen since injuring his ankle in Phoenix on November 27th. Curry left Saturday night’s game as his left ankle was bothering him. Curry returned with ankle braces on both legs for the Charlotte game. Rush missed the Saturday game with an undisclosed illness.

The Warriors took an early 10-4 lead in the first period. Curry hit a three-pointer to get the lead for the Dubs. For Curry, it was the 105th straight game that he made a three-point shot that is second all-time in the NBA. The Hornets came back and had a one-point advantage with a 13-12 lead with a little over seven minutes left in the period. The Dubs went ahead 17-13 but Charlotte went on a 7-0 run to put them ahead 20-17. Golden State responded by tying the game at twenty. With 2:11 left. Harrison Barnes entered the game, and the Dubs went on a 15-4 run to give them an eight-point advantage after one period of play 32-24.

The Dubs and the Hornets each scored thirty points in the second period. The Dubs continued to lead by eight 62-54. One of the key plays in the period was a fantastic lob pass from Draymond Green that Andrew Bogut converted for a two-point play. Key players for Charlotte in the first half were Kemba Walker with fourteen points, Jeremy Lamb with twelve of the bench and Brian Roberts with nine. For Golden State, Klay Thompson had eighteen, Steph Curry fourteen, Mo Speights Nine and Harrison Barnes with six. Charlette shot 48.8% from the floor while the Warriors shot 58.1% and were nine for nineteen making threes.

In the third period, the Hornets rallied to cut the Dubs’ lead to one 66-65. Klay scored the next five points up the lead to 71-65. The Dubs continued a 12-0 run to go ahead 78-65. Steph and Brandon Rush each hit a three-point shot and Golden State now had a fifteen-point lead. The third period ended with Golden State ahead 95-77.

The Hornets made a run in the fourth period. They held the Dubs scoreless for over four minutes and closed the gap to nine, but coach Luke Walton put Draymond, Steph, and Bogut back in the game to seal the win. With 5:31 left, Draymond fed Steph, who converted and Draymond had his third straight triple-double. He became the first Warrior to accomplish this since Tom Gola did it in 1960. The Hornets were toast as the Dubs won their 32nd game of the year 111-101.

Game Notes- The Warriors improved to 32-2 for the season while Charlotte’s record dropped to 17-17. The Warriors were led by Steph and Klay. Each had 30 points. Draymond had 13 points, ten assists, and 15 rebounds. Mo Speights added 15. Brandon Rush had 10, and Harrison Barnes finished with 8. Charlotte scorers were Kemba Walker with 20, Jeremy Lin 13 and Jeremy Lamb 22.

The Warriors meet the LA Lakers at the Staples Center Tuesday night in Los Angeles.