David Lee wasn’t playing, and Stephen Curry, back from yet another ankle injury, was far from his best, Klay Thompson doesn’t usually get too much attention, or not as much as he deserves. The New Orleans Hornets regretted that in the end, as the Golden State Warriors shooting guards torched them with his scoring.
Thompson led the Warriors to a 116-112 win, scoring a team-high 29 points, shooting 11-16 from the field and 5-7 from beyond the arc. Thompson was mostly special in the first half, scoring 24 points. Stephen Curry took over in the second half, scoring 17 of his 20 points on a terrible shooting night of 5-17. Thompson is averaging 15.9 points per game this season, and won their first game after a three game losing streak, and their first win on the road since December 26.
A big key for the Warriors was making the most of not having Anthony Davis on the floor for the New Orleans Hornets. Davis finished the game with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks. He was 9-12 from the field, but an awful 2-7 from the line, including some misses when it mattered the most. Davis took the blame on him.
Put that on me. I should not be missing free throws like that. With that, we’re not going to win. He missed two free throws in the final two minutes.
The Warriors had a great time when their bench was on the floor, led by Jarrett Jack, playing against the team that traded him away during the summer to clear some cap space. Jack wasn’t playing great (25 points, 12 assists, double his seasonal averages) because he was facing a former team. He was playing great because it’s a battle for him to prove his place in the league every night he’s out there.
People tend to say that you play with a chip on our shoulder when you play against your old team. I play with a chip on my shoulder all the time. Nothing has ever been given to me in this league. Every night I try to go out and prove myself no matter if I am playing against the Hornets, the Lakers or the Bobcats.
Jack had a very good season for the Hornets in 2011-2012, averaging 15.6 points and 6.3 assists, but after they picked Austin Rivers with their second draft pick, Jack was traded to the warriors. What has Rivers given them up to now? 6.3 points per game with 34% from the field, losing his place in the starting lineup.
He was special. He was awfully good. Obviously there was something extra coming back and playing against former teammates. He made big plays for us.
The Warriors improved to 24-15, good enough for fifth in the Western conference, two games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the fourth seed. They haven’t been to the postseason since the 2006-2007 season, when they upset the number one seed Dallas Mavericks in the first round. The Warriors are hoping to send two players to the All-Star game this season: Stephen Curry, averaging 20.5 points and 6.6 assists this season, and David Lee, with 19.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.