If only the Warriors could always play on the road.
The Golden State Warriors continued their winning ways away from home on Friday, taking care of the lowly Charlotte Hornets 115-97 at Spectrum Center. Now winners of three straight on their almost finished five-game road trip, the Dubs are a remarkable 13-3 outside Chase Center in their last 16 games, a stretch that dates all the way back to an overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on February 3rd.
Winning in his hometown for the first time in his team’s last four tries, Stephen Curry struggled to explain the Warriors’ sustained success on the road this season compared to their struggles in San Francisco. The four-time MVP did come up with a creative way to simulate a road environment once Golden State returns to Chase Center amid a heated playoff race, though.
“We might need to like stay in a hotel in San Francisco and act like it’s a road game like they do in football, stay in the hotel the night before,” Curry joked after the game. “I don’t know what it is about the road Warriors. We kept our season alive with our road performance. It means a lot, and it’s looking like we’re gonna have to do that to get in the playoffs. So it’s something to rely on.”
Curry scored a team-high 23 points in the win, shooting 9-of-18 overall and 4-of-11 from three-point range. Andrew Wiggins continued his strong all-around play for Golden State, too, while Trayce Jackson-Davis and Moses Moody also reached double-figures, picking up slack left by the injured Jonathan Kuminga and Klay Thompson.
‘Coming along’ Warriors set for road path to playoffs
Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
The injuries to Kuminga and Thompson, thankfully, may not keep them sidelined any longer. The former also missed Wednesday’s win over the Orlando Magic with knee tendinitis and was questionable to play in Charlotte. Thompson, meanwhile, was bothered by discomfort in his knee against the Magic, then tested it out during warmups ahead of Friday’s game before being ruled out.
Expect both players to be back on the floor soon, potentially for Sunday’s road trip finale versus Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. While this is well-equipped to beat another bottom-dweller shorthanded, it would obviously benefit Golden State for Kuminga and Thompson to return as soon as possible.
While the Warriors are virtually assured of being forced to win at least one road game in the play-in tournament to advance to the playoffs, there’s still no guarantee they’ll even get the opportunity to do so. The surging Houston Rockets are nipping at their heels for 10th-place, with an April 4th matchup in Texas certain to go a long way toward determining both teams’ postseason fate.
Assuming it fends off Houston, would Golden State prefer to host the 9-10 play-in matchup rather than travel south to face the Los Angeles Lakers with the season on the line? No doubt. As they keeping stacking wins away from Chase Center, though, at least the Dubs will be extra confident if they’re relegated to tipping off the postseason beyond the Bay Area.
“We’ve been better on the road at home. It’s bizarre. A year ago it was the complete opposite. We were 33-8 at home and 0-41 on the road or so,” Steve Kerr said sarcastically after the game. “So, who knows? It’s hard to explain these things. But the main thing is we’re playing well right now. We’re in a pretty good groove. This is the best Wiggs has been all year, Trayce is coming into his own, Gary Payton looks fantastic. So we’re coming along well, and obviously we’re in a fight with a lot of teams. The West is just loaded this year.”
