Warriors at Hornets
THE STORY: The best thing for the Golden State Warriors is that their next game is on the road. Losers of four straight, the home fans loudly voiced their displeasure at another disappointing season and, more specifically, about the trade of fan favorite Monta Ellis on Monday night. The Western Conference-worst New Orleans Hornets should not only provide a less hostile atmosphere but also a strong chance to snap the slide. The Hornets own the worst home record in the NBA.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSBA (Golden State), CST (New Orleans)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (18-25): Golden State made the controversial decision a week ago to send Ellis and other pieces away to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for former No. 1 overall Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. Jackson was immediately parlayed into solid veteran Richard Jefferson at the trade deadline but Bogut likely will not play this season due to a broken ankle. The fans took the opportunity on Monday to voice their displeasure, raining down a long and loud series of boos on owner Joe Lacob at halftime during a ceremony to retire Chris Mullin’s jersey.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (11-34): New Orleans is coming off its most impressive victory in months and should have plenty of confidence entering Wednesday. The Hornets have made a habit of letting leads slip away late but turned that around on Saturday, outscoring the New Jersey Nets 32-12 in the fourth quarter to overcome a 12-point deficit. That win came in New Jersey, and five of the last six victories for New Orleans have been on the road. The Hornets were swept on a three-game homestand prior to the trip to New Jersey, suffering losses to the only two teams in the league with worst records in Charlotte and Washington.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Warriors F David Lee is averaging 21.7 points on 55.3 percent shooting in the last three games.
2. Golden State took two of three in the series last season.
3. New Orleans C Chris Kaman scored 20 points on Saturday but matched a season low with two rebounds.