LDN - Sports

Curry, Warriors rain threes on Hornets

[February 02, 2017] OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Charlotte Hornets took a hands-off approach to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry on Wednesday night.

It didn't work.

Curry bombed in six 3-pointers in the first quarter, paving the way to a 39-point performance that propelled the Warriors to a 126-111 thumping of the struggling Hornets.

The oddity of Curry's 13th 30-point explosion of the season: He never went to the free-throw line.

In fact, he was never fouled in the entire game.

"Yeah, it's weird when these nights happen," said Curry, who recalled a 51-point outing last February at Orlando in which he shot just one free throw (and made it).

"When you get it all from the field," he continued, "you can get into a rhythm and make all kinds of shots."

Curry (11-for-15 from 3-point range) and Klay Thompson (6-for-10 from long distance) combined for 17 3-pointers as the Warriors set franchise records for threes in a quarter (nine) and a half (15) en route to a season-best 21.

Golden State attempted a franchise-record 48 3-point shots.

Thompson finished with 29 points and tied a career high with eight assists. Kevin Durant added 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, helping the Warriors (42-7) record a sixth straight win over the Hornets and an eighth in a row at home against Eastern Conference competition this season.

"I just want open shots. I never care how many threes we take," Warriors coach Steve Kerr responded when it was brought to his attention that his club attempted the same number of 2-pointers as 3-pointers in the game. "I thought most of (the threes) were good."

The rematch of a tight Golden State win at Charlotte last Wednesday was never close, with Curry hitting 27- and 26-footers in the first 98 seconds to give the Warriors a lead they never relinquished.

Curry scored 18 first-quarter points, all on 3-pointers, and Thompson chipped in 11 as Golden State built a 31-11 lead en route to a 41-21 advantage at period's end.

The Warriors made nine 3-pointers and just six two-pointers in the quarter.

Thompson hit three more threes and Curry a pair in the second period, during which the Warriors went up by as many as 24 points before settling into a 77-56 halftime advantage.

Golden State was 15-for-29 on 3-pointers in the half.

"The cool thing about tonight was we both got started hot," Curry said of himself and Thompson. "The flow was perfect. Everyone was involved. It got contagious."

By game's end, Draymond Green had a pair of threes, and two other teammates had one apiece as Golden State got within three of the NBA record of 24.

"He hit a couple of threes that had to be 30 feet," Hornets coach Steve Clifford gushed of Curry, a Charlotte native. "There's a lot of shots that are made that are not defendable. There's not a lot you can do."

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Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Hornets 126-111. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Warriors' biggest lead of the game was 32 points.

Green led all rebounders with 10.

Backup big man Frank Kaminsky recorded a career-best 24 points for the Hornets, who lost their sixth straight.

Marco Belinelli had 16 points, Marvin Williams 14 and Nicolas Batum 13 for Charlotte, which lost for the second time on a three-game Western swing that concludes Saturday night at Utah.

The Hornets (23-27) played without center Cody Zeller, out due to a deep quadriceps bruise. Charlotte fell to 1-11 in his absence this season.

The Hornets countered the Warriors' 21 3-pointers with just nine of their own on 30 attempts.

All-Star guard Kemba Walker didn't have any of Charlotte's nine 3-pointers, snapping a streak of making at least one in 27 straight games. He finished with a season-low seven points, failing to reach double figures for the first time this season.

"We just need to figure some things out, man to man," Walker said of his club's slump. "We just kind of need to look at ourselves in the mirror and understand what we're not doing as individuals. It's been pretty rough for us the last couple of weeks."

NOTES: Warriors PG Stephen Curry never previously scored more than 31 points in a game without making a free throw. ... Hornets PG Kemba Walker fell 19 short of the Charlotte franchise record for consecutive games with a 3-pointer, held by former Warriors PG Baron Davis. ... The NBA announced that the Warriors' Steve Kerr was selected Western Conference Coach of the Month for January, during which Golden State had a plus-14.1 point differential in 14 games. Kerr also earned the honor for October/November. ... The Warriors' 12-2 mark in January gave them their 24th consecutive winning month, the longest active streak in the NBA. ... Warriors backup PG Shaun Livingston (sore back) was a late scratch. The club announced after the game that Livingston would fly with the team to Los Angeles but would be listed as doubtful for the Thursday game against the Clippers.

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