|
 Walker scored 31 points and made key play after key play down the
stretch, as the Bobcats outlasted Curry and the Warriors 115-111.
Twenty-seven of Walker's points came in the second half, including
15 in the fourth quarter and six in the final 25 seconds — all from
the free-throw line.
Curry, a Charlotte native in his annual homecoming game, finished
with 43 points, including Golden State's final 15 of the game.
"All I was thinking about was the W," Walker, the Bobcats'
third-year point guard, said. "I kinda got it going down the
stretch. Every basket, we needed, so I was trying to step up and I
was very fortunate to make it. I am trying to pick my spots and
tonight I was the guy to go to. I was feeling good offensively and I
just wanted to make shots to help us win the game."
Walker finished 10 of 18 from the field, 10 of 12 from the
free-throw line, and had two 3-pointers. He also finished with five
rebounds, five assists, and did the playmaking on a night when the
Bobcats committed only seven turnovers. "He got going," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. "Listen, he's an
A-1 competitor, and that's a well-rounded game he played, because
his defense was tenacious, I don't care how many Curry got. He
played a great game.
The win was the Bobcats' second straight and moved them to 10-11. It
was also their second straight game of piling up their highest point
total of the season; they had scored a season-high 105 in a win over
Philadelphia last Friday.
Guard Gerald Henderson added a season-high 24 points, including 14
in the first half when the Bobcats pulled out to a 53-41 halftime
lead.
The Bobcats eventually led by as many as 15 in the second half
before Golden State rallied to tie the game at 88-88, only to see
the Bobcats pull back away with a 12-2 spurt for a 100-90 lead.
"I think the biggest thing was, they came back — we've had games
where they come back — and then tonight we made the plays to win
the game," Clifford said.
Charlotte also got 13 points from guard Ramon Sessions, 12 points
from guard Ben Gordon, 11 points and 10 rebounds from forward Josh
McRoberts, and 11 points from center Al Jefferson.
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Curry's 43 points were a season high, but still well off his
career high of 54. He needed 32 shots to do it, going 14 of 32
from the field and five of 16 from 3-point range.
"We weren't focused in the first half, and that set the tone for
the whole game," Curry said. "It's tough to get down on the road
and come back. It's disappointing to come here and not get the
win."
The Warriors fell to 12-10.
"We need to play our brand of basketball," Warriors coach Mark
Jackson said. "That's what we need bad. We need to be true to
our identity right now. We are not and because of that we
haven't put together a great run. We're going to be fine, but we
can't continue to talk about it, we need results."
Guard Klay Thompson finished with 22, forward David Lee had 14
points and 16 rebounds, and forward Harrison Barnes scored 14.
NOTES: It was a game between teams plagued by injuries. The
Bobcats were without F Jeffery Taylor (left heel contusion), C
Bismack Biyombo (right ankle sprain), F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
(fractured left hand) and C Brendan Haywood (stress fracture
left foot). The Warriors were without F Andre Iguodala (strained
left hamstring), C Ognjen Kuzmic (fractured right hand) and C
Festus Ezeli (right knee surgery), and G Toney Douglas (stress
reaction, left tibia) played just two minutes. ... Warriors G
Stephen Curry's father, Dell, is the Bobcats' television
analyst. ... The Warriors were playing their 14th road game of
the season on Monday night, which is the most of any team in the
league. They've played only eight home games so far. ... The
Warriors lead the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage at .427
and are threatening the NBA record of .428 set by the 1996-97
Charlotte Hornets, who featured Dell Curry. Golden State was 11
of 37 from 3-point range on Monday. ... Stephen Curry became the
Warriors' all-time 3-point leader with his 701st career triple
on Saturday at Memphis. He passed Jason Richardson. ... The
Bobcats will remain home to face Orlando on Wednesday. ... The
Warriors will return home to face Dallas on Wednesday.
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