Warriors at Bobcats
The Golden State Warriors picked up a confidence-boosting win against one strong defensive team and will look to light up another squad built around defense when they visit the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday. The Warriors had dropped 11 in a row to the Memphis Grizzlies before putting a 108-82 pounding on them on Saturday and are hoping to finish off their three-game trip in similar fashion. The Bobcats are coming off their second 100-point outburst of the season.
Golden State is struggling without Andre Iguodala but got things rolling the way they usually do against Memphis - from the outside. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for five 3-pointers and Curry handed out 15 assists in the easy win. “I think we showed who we really are,” coach Mark Jackson said. “We’ve been upset with the way we’ve played… I’m really proud of my guys. The energy, effort, enthusiasm and the way we executed.” The Bobcats are second in the league in scoring defense but allow opponents to shoot 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), SportSouth (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (12-9): Golden State has won three of its last four games to pull out of a funk as Curry directs the attack. The 3-point specialist is averaging 10 assists over those four contests and is seeing his minutes increase - all the way up to 45 on Saturday. “We need to win and he is our best player,” Jackson said. “(We were) staying aware of the fact of how he was feeling. He said he was fine so we kept him in there and kept the ball in his hands. That’s what the best players do - they will themselves and their group to big-time wins.” Thompson is battling through some inconsistency but has put up at least 22 points in each of the last three wins.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (9-11): Charlotte lost Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to a broken hand but did not miss a beat as Jeff Taylor was plugged into the starting lineup and immediately went off for 20 points in the 105-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. The Bobcats, who rank last in the NBA in scoring average at 89.6 points, are hoping Taylor can be consistent. “We’ve got a lot of good pieces this year,” Taylor said. “We play really well as a unit. We all want to play hard for each other and we have one common goal that unites us.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bobcats have held 13 straight opponents under 100 points.
2. Golden State took both meetings last season, including a 104-96 win in Charlotte on Dec. 10, 2012.
3. Bobcats C Bismack Biyombo left Friday’s game with an ankle injury and is doubtful for Monday.