LaMelo Ball. Stephen Curry. ESPN. Be there.
What: Charlotte Hornets (5-3) at Golden State Warriors (5-1)
When: 10:00 pm EDT
Where: Chase Center; San Francisco, Calif.
How to watch: ESPN
The Charlotte Hornets have made their way out west for the first time this season, with a four-game California road trip ahead of them. First up on the schedule; the Golden State Warriors. The Dubs have been one of the best teams in the NBA so far in this young season, and they’re coming into tonight with three days of rest since they last played.
Injury report
Charlotte: no injuries
Golden State: Klay Thompson OUT (Achilles), James Wiseman OUT (knee).
The Warriors’ getting off to such a great start has come the same way all of their success has come in the last few years; Curry remains one of the league’s top-five players, and Draymond Green is the playmaking cog that helps the machine run smoothly while playing stalwart defense on the other end.
Golden State’s lone loss came in overtime against Memphis on October 28. They lead the league in assist percentage (70.5), are second in defensive rating (98.7), fifth in 3-point percentage (37.8) and seventh in rebounding percentage (51.9). Statistically, there are not many aspects of basketball the Warriors haven’t excelled at in the early-going. Oh, and Curry is leading the league in scoring at 28.7 per game on 38.8 percent from deep (13.3 3PA per game) while averaging 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists. He’s aging like a fine wine.
Andrew Wiggins has become a formidable defender since pairing up with Steve Kerr, and he’s putting up 16.2 points per game to go along with that. Jordan Poole has started alongside Curry in the backcourt, and though his 3-point shot (24.3 percent) hasn’t come along yet, he’s still someone defenses must respect when spacing the floor.
Charlotte will look to get back on track after dropping a home game to the Cavaliers. Big, physical teams have given the Hornets problems thus far, but the Warriors are actually a decent matchup. Green and Kevon Looney are their primary big men, and neither stand taller than 6-foot-9. The Hornets’ lineups with 6-foot-7 PJ Washington at center tend to be their most productive, and head coach James Borrego should be able to deploy that against the Warriors without too much worry of getting beat on the glass.
We’ve got a revenge game for Kelly Oubre Jr., too. This will be his first game back at the Chase Center following a less-than-stellar year with the Warriors, and he seems like the kind of guy that would bring it for a matchup like this. Those who stay awake for this one are gonna have a late night, but I suppose there are worse things to lose sleep for than a LaMelo Ball-Steph Curry showdown on ESPN.