OAKLAND, Calif. _ At times, the Warriors' talent and depth create a beautiful display of basketball. At times, the Warriors' complacency delays their process in painting that picture.
Usually at some point, though, the Warriors finally revert back to good habits, break the game open and then call it a night. That moment never happened, however, in the Warriors' 111-100 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday at Oracle Arena.
The Hornets (13-22) improved to a 3-13 road record with six players cracking double figures.
The Warriors (28-8) allowed Dwight Howard (29 points, 12 rebounds) to appear like an All-Star again while conceding 46 points in the paint. Whether the Warriors went big (Zaza Pachulia) or small (Jordan Bell), they still fell short.
Kevin Durant produced 27 points on 8 of 19 shooting. Klay Thompson stayed steady with 24 points on 10 of 20 shooting. While struggling with his shot (4 of 11), Warriors forward Draymond Green tied for a career-high 16 assists, adding eight points and 11 rebounds. The Warriors still had problems with their turnovers (18). They had issues with fouling (24). And they their bench could not match the Hornets' depth, as the Hornets reserves outscored the Warriors', 39-27.
That starkly contrasted from the Warriors' 101-87 win on Dec. 6 in Charlotte. In that game, the Warriors forced the Hornets into shooting 34 of 97 from the field (35.1 percent), limiting their free-throw attempts (17) and holding them in transition (seven fast-break points).
