Warriors-Bobcats Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Dec 09 2012 4:32PM

Along with David Lee, Stephen Curry has played a pivotal role in the Golden State Warriors' superb start to their longest road trip of the season.

When he returns to a familiar place Monday night, Curry will try to help the Warriors accomplish a rare feat and end their recent woes against the struggling Charlotte Bobcats.

After a 3-4 start to the season, Golden State (13-7) has found its stride with 10 victories in its past 13 contests, and that winning hasn't stopped so far on a seven-game trip against Eastern Conference foes.

The Warriors are 3-0 on that trek to tie their longest overall win streak of the season. They defeated Washington 101-97 in their latest stop Saturday.

Lee, averaging a team-best 24.7 points and 14.3 rebounds during the trip, led the way with 24 points and 17 boards. Klay Thompson had 23 points and Curry scored 22 for his seventh consecutive game with at least 20.

Curry has averaged 24.5 points on 50.7 percent shooting in four games against Charlotte, making 14 of 22 from 3-point range. The Warriors guard starred at Charlotte Christian High School and nearby Davidson University.

His father, Dell Curry, spent 10 seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and is now a Bobcats broadcaster.

He'll be watching as the Warriors try to start 4-0 on a road trip for the first time since sweeping a five-gamer Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 1978. They're also seeking to clinch their first winning record on a road trip of seven games or longer since going 4-3 from Dec. 7-15, 1970.

Golden State is are 7-4 on the road after going 37-119 outside of Oakland over the previous four seasons.

"We're trying to change the culture and overcome a lot of things that we're not used to," Curry said. "You've got to be able to perform at a high level night-in and night-out on the road and we're playing well."

The Warriors appear to have a good chance to keep rolling with Charlotte (7-12) having dropped seven in a row overall and five straight at home. Golden State, though, has dropped five of the last six meetings and was one of the few teams to lose to the 7-59 Bobcats last season.

Curry missed that 112-100 defeat in Charlotte on Jan. 14 because of an ankle injury. Lee had a team-best 24 points and 16 rebounds, but only one other Warriors player scored more than 12.

Gerald Henderson led the way for Charlotte with 26 points. Kemba Walker scored a season-high 23 and Byron Mullens added 20.

The Bobcats' recent woes have mainly been on defense. They've given up an average of 110.0 points during their skid and finished four shy of matching a franchise record for points allowed Saturday in a 132-102 loss to San Antonio.

The Spurs made a franchise-record 19 3-pointers and had seven players score in double figures. Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap benched Mullens and Brendan Haywood at the start of the game, but replacements Bismack Biyombo and DeSagana Diop totaled four points.

"It was to let everybody know that there is some live chairs," Dunlap said. "When you're going through this process it's important to live to the standard of how you want guys to play, and for us that's (playing) extremely hard."

Curry scores 27 as Warriors beat Bobcats 104-96

By STEVE REED
Posted Dec 10 2012 10:57PM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Unlike his previous two trips to Charlotte, Stephen Curry said he didn't have any butterflies as he stepped on the court Monday night.

Call it veteran experience - or maybe it's just supreme confidence given the way he's playing right now.

Curry put on quite a show for his hometown fans, finishing with 27 points, seven assists and seven rebounds to lead the surging Golden State Warriors to a 104-96 win over the struggling Charlotte Bobcats.

Curry, who grew up in Charlotte and made a name for himself when led nearby Davidson College to the brink of the Final Four in 2008, shot 10 of 22 from the field and hit four 3-pointers.

It was his eighth straight 20-point game, a career best, and he pushed his season scoring average to 20.0 per game.

"This meant a lot," Curry said. "I didn't play here last year because I was hurt and we got beat. But the anticipation was high for this game. Seeing my family and to have a performance like we did tonight was definitely the icing on the cake."

Aside from winning, Curry said the best part was looking into the crowd and seeing his former coach Bob McKillop waving at him.

Curry caught fire in the third quarter, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting - all while his 5-month-old daughter Riley slept in his wife Ayesha's arms in the stands.

"It was a great homecoming for him," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "The guy's playing at an elite level right now. I know we keep talking about it and, sooner or later, everybody's going to catch on. But he's a heck of a basketball player."

David Lee continued his torrid pace with 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors (14-7), who have won seven of their past eight games and improved to 4-0 on their current seven-game Eastern trip.

They'll have a big test Wednesday night when they travel to Miami to face the defending champion Heat.

Jackson said he's not surprised by his team's run.

"We came in here and worked our tails off and we prepared ourselves for this season," said Jackson, whose team is winning without the injured Andrew Bogut. "I didn't put any limitations on them. But we're 14-7 with eight road wins.

"Great play by individuals and great play by the group. It's a wonderful thing when you get a bunch of guys committed and buy in and nobody wants to let go of the rope. I'm extremely proud of these guys."

Carl Landry added 16 points and Jarrett Jack had 12 points and six assists for Golden State.

Kemba Walker scored 24 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 17 to lead the Bobcats, who've dropped eight straight after starting the season 7-5.

Owner Michael Jordan took a seat at the end of the Bobcats' bench to try and provide a spark for his team, but it didn't work.

Charlotte had a miserable shooting night with eight airballs - four by Byron Mullens, who was reinserted into the starting lineup for his scoring after getting benched by coach Mike Dunlap for a game - and also finished with a season-high 18 turnovers.

The Bobcats made a myriad of mistakes, including once letting the 24-second clock run out without even attempting a shot.

Jordan appeared frustrated at times and spoke with several players on the bench during breaks, both trying to teach and inspire his young team.

But this night belonged to Curry and the Warriors.

Golden State took control from the start, shooting a blazing 73 percent from the field to grab a 38-23 lead at the end of the first quarter. They built the lead to 21 at one point and never led by less than 10 until Walker hit a free throw with less than two minutes left in regulation cutting the lead to 101-92.

"We've got to play that way from the start," Walker said of the team's fourth quarter surge. "That's it. We waited too long to play that way. I take full responsibility. I've got to set the tone early and I didn't do that."

Dunlap preached defense back in training camp, but his team has struggled of late to stop anyone.

"What the team has got to understand is it's a four-quarter game and it's two-and-a-half event, so the while frustrating the education continues for us," Dunlap said.

NOTES: Lee came into the game averaging more than 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, something only four other players have done in franchise history. He scored 13 points in the first quarter. ... Brendan Haywood didn't start and saw limited action for the Bobcats for the second straight game, logging only three minutes. ... The Bobcats have surrendered at least 100 points in their last six games and nine of their last 10.

Notebook: Warriors 104, Bobcats 96

Derek Smith, for NBA.com
Posted Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:59 PM - Updated Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:59 PM

THE FACTS: Stephen Curry made a splash in his return to the Queen City. Curry scored 27 points and added seven assists and seven rebounds as the revitalized Golden State Warriors picked up a 104-96 win over the struggling Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 24 points, who have now lost eight straight.

QUOTABLE: "It was a great homecoming. The guy is playing at an elite level right now. Sooner or later everybody is going to catch on. He's a heck of a basketball player playing healthy. He's defending. It's great for him. It's awesome for me to watch when the good guys win one. He's certainly one of them."

-- Golden State coach Mark Jackson

THE STAT: Winning streaks. The Warriors' four-game winning streak is the longest of the year for the Warriors. They are now 8-4 on the road which is their best road start since the 1993-94 campaign and equals their road win total from last season. It's their longest road winning streak since 2007. Their 14-7 start is their best start since 1991-92. Golden State is also assured of its first winning record on a road trip of seven games or longer since the 1970-71 season.

TURNING POINT: Jarrett Jack gets fouled with 1.5 left in the third quarter. After hitting both free throws, Jack steals the inbounds pass and hits a 15-footer at the buzzer to put the Warriors up 93-74 to start the fourth quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "He's playing with a lot of confidence right now and he's very healthy right now. We just love having him on the team. We have the best chemistry of any team in the NBA. We have great character on this team and that's why we're doing as well as we are. We're not the most talented team in the league, but we're one of the hardest working and that's why we've been so successful."

-- Golden State forward David Lee

HOT: David Lee got things going early for Golden State and had a 25-point, 11-rebound, four-assist night for the Warriors. Lee was 10-for-14 from the floor and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line as the Warriors improved to 4-0 on their road swing. It was his fourth straight game of 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds. Golden State started the game 13-for-16 from the floor and Lee scored 11 points in that stretch.

NOT: Jeffery Taylor has struggled of late. The Charlotte rookie was 1-for-8 Monday in the loss to Golden State with just four points. He's averaging six points and shooting just 30 percent from the field in that stretch.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Curry has strung together an impressive set of numbers over the last eight games. The Warriors guard is averaging 23.0 points, 8.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds and put together a four-game span where he had at least 20 points and at least 10 assists during that span. In addition to the numbers, Curry has made 32 of his 58 three-point attempts and connected on 89.7 percent of his free throws. Golden State is 7-1 during the stretch. It was also Curry's fourth game with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists this season.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Davidson Wildcats head coach Bob McKillop and his coaching staff were in attendance to watch Curry. With Curry returning home to Charlotte he was on the hook for 73 tickets to the Monday game. Access 2 Success, a charity which supports underprivileged youth through athletic, educational and spiritual programs, was also in attendance to support Festus Ezeli. The charity was started by Curry's college teammate and Nigeria native Andrew Lovedale.

ROOKIE WATCH: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist continued his positive play for the Bobcats. The rookie out of Kentucky had 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one blocked shot. It was the fourth double-digit scoring output in his last six games.

NOTABLE: Walker scored 20-plus points for the fourth time in the last five games and the seventh time this season. Ben Gordon scored in double figures for the fifth time in seven games and the 12th time this season. Warriors guard Klay Thompson scored in double figures for the 17th time this season. Jarrett Jack recorded a career-high and Warriors team season-high five steals. He also scored in double figures for the 11th time this season.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Wednesday @ Miami, Friday @ Orlando, Saturday @ Atlanta. For the Bobcats, Wednesday vs. L.A. Clippers, Thursday @ Atlanta, Saturday vs. Orlando.

• Warriors: Bogut, Rush
• Bobcats: Thomas

• Warriors: --
• Bobcats: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #75 Eric Dalen, #31 Scott Wall
• Attendance: 13169
• Duration: 2:14