The Golden State Warriors overcame a third-quarter charge by the Charlotte Hornets, eventually outpacing them in a 111-101 home victory on Monday night. Here's three things we learned from the game.
3. The Defense Is Coming Around A Bit
The Warriors gave up over 110 points per 100 possessions in the three games prior to this -- by far their worst three-game stretch of the season. Golden State looked a bit more active on closeouts on Monday, and while Charlotte did score 101 points, the Hornets shot a middling 44.2% from the field.
The Warriors weren't "in trouble" exactly, but they seem to be rebounding from a mini-swoon.
2. Combating Bigs With Speed
The Dubs were outscored 42-28 in the paint, but they offset that completely by outscoring the Hornets 25-11 on the fast break. The best way for the Warriors to nullify the size advantage of teams like Charlotte isn't to double down in the block. They have to continue to run, outpacing the bigs and eventually forcing the opposing team to heave up low-percentage outside shots.
1. Draymond Green Would Be An MVP Candidate On Any Other Team
If the 2015-16 season ended today, we'd be completely on board for Stephen Curry's repeat NBA MVP bid. But, Draymond Green has to at least get a hard look from the voters. Green had 13 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists on Monday, joining Tom Gola (1959-60) as the only players in Warriors history to record triple-doubles in three straight games.
Already a star after the 2014-15 campaign, Green has upped his game in almost every facet this season -- developing as a shooters and "point forward" while continuing to exert maximum effort on defense. He was the best player on the floor against the Hornets, and it wasn't even close.
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