De’Anthony Melton scored 24 points to lead a balanced Golden State attack as eight Warriors reached double figures in a 136-116 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
Golden State buried 23 of its 52 attempts from beyond the arc, with 10 different players knocking down at least one 3-pointer. The Warriors have now had 10 or more players hit a 3 in three consecutive games, the longest such streak in NBA history since the 3-point line was introduced in 1979-80, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The win extended Golden State’s streak to three games and improved the Warriors to 5-1 on their eight-game homestand.
Draymond Green added 20 points for Golden State, while Brandin Podziemski scored 16 and Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield chipped in 14 apiece. Rookie Will Richard made his first start in place of Jimmy Butler, who was out for personal reasons.
Charlotte was led by Brandon Miller’s game-high 28 points, and Kon Knueppel finished with 24. The Hornets trailed by 12 at halftime but made a push in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 82-79 on Knueppel’s layup midway through the period.
Golden State quickly regained control, answering with a decisive 20-5 run capped by a Hield corner 3 to stretch the lead to 102-84 with 2:27 left in the third. The Warriors had earlier built a 15-point advantage in the first half, highlighted by Podziemski’s buzzer-beating 3 that made it 69-54 with three seconds left in the second quarter.
Miller countered with a remarkable 62-foot heave at the horn, trimming Charlotte’s deficit to 69-57 at intermission. Even with Curry missing both of his 3-point attempts in the first half, Golden State went 13 of 26 from deep over the opening two quarters.
Up next:
The Hornets continue their trip at Denver on Sunday, while the Warriors host the Miami Heat on Monday.
