With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green sidelined, Kevin Durant delivered the goods Wednesday night to give the Warriors their fifth consecutive victory.
Durant posted his second triple-double as a Warrior, with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 101-87 win over the Hornets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
Klay Thompson tossed in 22 points and Nick Young added 10 off the bench as the Warriors held Charlotte to 35.1-percent shooting to improve their record to 20-6 with the wire-to-wire victory.
The Warriors are one win away from the first undefeated six-game road trip in franchise history.
STANDOUT PERFORMER: With Curry and Green sideline, and Zaza Pachulia leaving early, Durant took on the challenge of leading the way. He was nothing short of magnificent.
Durant’s line: a season-high 35 points (13-of-28 from the field, including 3-of-10 from beyond the arc, 6-of-6 from the line), 11 rebounds, 10 assists and two blocks. He played 36 minutes and finished plus-7.
TURNING POINT: The Warriors took control early, leading for most of the first quarter and breaking away in the second.
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When Charlotte pulled with eight, 28-20, on a layup by guard Michael Carter-Williams with 10:44 left in the second quarter, the Warriors responded with a 12-0 run, going up 40-20 on a dunk by Andre Iguodala with 7:24 left in the half.
The Hornets got no closer than seven (87-80, 5:46 remaining) in the second half.
INJURY UPDATE: Warriors: C Zaza Pachulia (L shoulder soreness) was upgraded to available prior to tipoff, but aggravated the injury and exited with 7:29 remaining in the first quarter. F Draymond Green (R shoulder soreness) was listed as questionable and declared out prior to tipoff. G Stephen Curry (R ankle sprain) and G Pat McCaw (nose contusion) were listed as out. C Damian Jones is on assignment with the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors.
Hornets: No injuries were listed.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Warriors return to action Friday night in Detroit, where they face the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 3 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for 4:05.
