Warriors Defeat Hornets, Snap 4-Game Losing Streak
NEW ORLEANS (CBS / AP) -- Rookie Klay Thompson scored a career-high 27 points, David Lee added 25 and the Golden State Warriors ended a four-game losing streak with a 101-92 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night.
The Warriors trailed 58-51 midway through the third quarter before Thompson sparked a 20-5 run. He hit a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play to give the Warriors a 60-58 lead. He also got the assist on Brandon Rush's wide open 3-pointer that gave Golden State the lead for good, 63-60.
Lee, who also had 11 rebounds, finished the spurt with a jumper that made it 71-63.
Jarrett Jack had his first career triple double for the Hornets with 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Chris Kaman and Xavier Henry added 13 points apiece.
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Rush had 16 points for Golden State, which hit 14 3-pointers— the most New Orleans has allowed this season.
The Hornets cut the deficit to 75-72 at the end of the third quarter, but Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush sank consecutive 3-pointers to start the fourth to boost the lead to nine. After the Hornets pulled to 84-79, Nate Robinson hit a 3-pointer, Rush scored and Jefferson drained another 3 to give the Warriors a 92-79 lead.
They led by at least seven the rest of the way.
Neither team was ahead by more than four in the second quarter, which featured 10 lead changes, including nine in a row at one point.
Lee hit his last three shots of the half after missing his first seven from the field, then watched as Smith dunked over his head on a one-handed follow.
That was one of two dunks off rebounds in the quarter for Smith, who returned last Saturday against New Jersey after missing 20 consecutive games because of concussion symptoms. He led the Hornets with 10 points in the half, making 5 of 7 shots.
Golden State, which has lost four in a row since trading leading scorer Monta Ellis to Milwaukee, was sloppy at the start. An inbound pass thrown by Robinson bounced off the back of Thompson's leg just past midcourt before he realized it was coming. After Thompson saved it, Robinson threw the ball away a few seconds later.
The Warriors quickly cleaned up their act, finishing with only nine turnovers. Robinson had 10 assists.
Thompson, whose .440 3-point percentage coming in led all rookies, sank three 3s in the first quarter. He had 13 of the Warriors' 26 points in the period but needed 11 shots to get them, hitting five.
New Orleans outrebounded Golden State 47-33 and outshot the Warriors 49.4 percent to 43.8 percent, but had a 14-3 disadvantage on 3-pointers.
NOTES: Curry missed his sixth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. ... Warriors starting C Andris Biedrins sat out with a sprained shoulder he sustained on Monday against Minnesota. ... The Hornets did not attempt a free throw in the first half—the first time since Feb. 5, 2011, that New Orleans had zero foul shots in a half. ... New Orleans' last triple-double was by Darren Collison on Feb. 19, 2010. ... Jack's 10 rebounds were a career high.
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