Green triple-double fuels Warriors’ win
Draymond Green had a triple-double and the Golden State Warriors earned their first threegame win streak of the season in Friday’s 130121 win over the Charlotte Hornets at Chase Center.
With 11 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 19 assists, Green earned a franchise-record 25th triple-double of his career and set the tone on a night when the Warriors assisted on 38 of their 48 made field goals.
“He was just picking the defense apart,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s at the top of his game right now.”
Green had eight assists in the first quarter alone, several going to Kelly Oubre Jr., who exploited Charlotte’s defense for cuts and dunks at the rim and finished with 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting, six rebounds and three assists. By the end of the game, the Warriors (19-15) had scored a season-high 72 points in the paint.
Stephen Curry scored a team-high 29 points on 8-for-15 shooting to go along with nine assists, and Golden State outscored Charlotte by more than 20 points when Curry, Green and Oubre were on the court.
The Hornets (15-17) were led by guard Malik Monk’s 25 points and rookie LaMelo Ball’s 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Not only did the Warriors earn their first threegame win streak of the season — something that had eluded them seven times — but they also avenged their loss in Charlotte last week, a game in which Curry was a late scratch, Green was ejected in the final seconds as they squandered a double-digit lead.
“I wouldn’t call it a revenge game,” Green said. “It was just me coming out and making it right.”
Despite the milestone, the postgame locker room was quiet because the Warriors, who committed 23 turnovers, thought they could have played better.
“That’s a good sign,” said Kerr, whose team will play the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday at Staples Center. “We’ve won three in a row and nobody’s that happy. We know we can play better and it’s a sign that we think there’s more to come.”