Unlikely names lead Warriors past Hornets
Draymond Green #23 and Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors react after Green made a basket against the Charlotte Hornets at Chase Center on November 03, 2021 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
Jordan Poole picked up the slack on an off shooting game for backcourt mate Stephen Curry, scoring a season-best 31 points Wednesday night and helping the Golden State Warriors overpower the visiting Charlotte Hornets 114-92.
Gary Payton II came off the bench to chip in with a season-high scoring total of his own, contributing 14 points and three steals to the Warriors’ sixth win in seven games to start the season.
Miles Bridges poured in a game-high 32 points for the Hornets, who lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
Charlotte led by as many as seven in the first half but Golden State chipped away to carry a 53-52 lead into the break. The Warriors then took command with a late burst in the third period that opened an 80-64 lead. Payton had two layups, two free throws and a steal in a 14-1, defensive-driven flurry that gave the Warriors a comfortable lead for good.
Poole shot 7-for-16 on 3-point attempts and 11-for-21 overall. In terms of Poole’s career, the 31 points are second only to the 38 he had against the New Orleans Pelicans last May.
22 PTS and 6 3PM in the first half 🔥
Jordan Poole is showing out on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/tU6qRWmVGc
— NBA (@NBA) November 4, 2021
Payton’s point total was the third-highest of his career. He hit six of his nine shots.
On a night when he had eight rebounds and a game-high nine assists, Curry finished with 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting. He missed eight of his 11 3-point attempts and finished with his lowest-scoring total of the season, five points below his previous low.
Damion Lee added 15 points and Andrew Wiggins 14 for the Warriors, who shot 18-for-45 from 3-point range and outscored the Hornets 54-30 from beyond the arc.
Golden State’s Draymond Green did his part with a team-high 10 rebounds to go with eight assists and five points.
Bridges made five of Charlotte’s 10 3-pointers on his 32-point night. He also found time for nine rebounds.
Gordon Hayward had 23 points and LaMelo Ball amassed 14 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals for the Hornets, who were opening a five-game trip.
Hayward completed a double-double with 11 rebounds for Charlotte, which entered the game as the league’s highest-scoring team but scored seven fewer points than in any previous game.
