What we learned as Warriors' winning streak ends in Charlotte originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
It's been over two weeks since the Warriors have been on the road, and it was clear they forgot how it felt to play outside of the comfort of Chase Center's walls.
In their 106-102 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on Sunday night, the Warriors struggled to find any level of consistency. They couldn't get their 3-point shot going, fell asleep on defense at times, and had massive spells of sloppiness.
There were moments when the Warriors looked like they would figure it out, but each time, their usually hot offense went stone cold. Charlotte took advantage and handed the Warriors their second loss of the 2021-22 NBA season.
Back in his hometown, Steph Curry finished with 24 points on 7-of-22 from the field and 3-of-13 from 3-point range. He added 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals in the loss.
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Here are three takeaways as the Warriors fall to 11-2:
It all came down to shooting
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Yes, the Warriors had some chaotic moments and some sloppy turnovers, but at the end of the day, it was the difference in 3-point shooting that was the make-or-break factor of the game.
The Warriors went 9-of-39 from 3-point range in Charlotte. That's 23.1 percent, which isn't great. Meanwhile, the Hornets went 14-for-36 from distance.
In nearly every other category, the two teams were the same.
Going up against the fourth-worst defense in the NBA, it's not that the Hornets were forcing the Warriors to miss those shots. The Warriors were missing wide-open 3-pointers and generally good looks.
The reason the Warriors were able to stay in the game was that they did a good job of executing back-door cut after back-door cut. There was a stretch in the third quarter when Golden State tried to do more to get going, but couldn't quite get anything to work for them. The same happened at the end of the fourth.
By no means should there be an alarm sounding that the Warriors aren't shooting well. It's just one game. However, moving forward, the Warriors will have to find ways to get wins when their shot isn't falling.
Wiggins staying aggressive
Andrew Wiggins has taken his pledge to be more aggressive very seriously, as he's done it for three games in a row.
Sunday night was an awful 3-point shooting night for the Warriors, as we've established, so it was the perfect opportunity for Wiggins to continue his streak of attacking the rim.
Wiggins was the Warriors' lifeline on offense, finishing with 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting.
Wiggins was also responsible for the Warriors' biggest defensive possessions of the night. With a minute left in the game, he locked LaMelo Ball down 1-on-1, blocking the shot and forcing a shot-clock violation that got the Warriors the ball back, which led to a Draymond Green dunk.
The Kuminga File
Not only did Jonathan Kuminga see rotation minutes against the Hornets, but he took absolute advantage of them. He's displayed good floor and self-awareness and was active on defense. Most importantly, he kept everything simple.
After checking in at the tail end of the first quarter, Kuminga started in the second and went on a little flurry. He registered six quick points off a pump fake, a cutting drive and a dunk in transition. A few minutes later he slashed from the 3-point line into the paint -- complete with a spin move for style -- for another layup.
Kuminga finished the game with nine points of 4-of-6 shooting. And he was just as effective on defense, grabbing five rebounds -- three of which were offensive -- getting two steals and one block.
Before the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that as the roster gets back to being fully healthy, he needs to carve out minutes for Kuminga.
