Stephen Curry’s homecoming soured as Hornets snap Warriors’ winning streak
Curry hadn't lost in Charlotte since 2013 but missed 7 of his 8 shot
attempts in the 4th quarter. 'I wanted it so bad, I started to rush a
little bit,' he said.
>CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 14: Stephen Curry #30 of the
Golden State Warriors looks on during the second quarter against the
Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on November 14,
2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
>CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 14: Stephen Curry #30 of the
Golden State Warriors looks on during the second quarter against the
Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on November 14,
2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: November 14, 2021 at 6:29 p.m. | UPDATED: November 15, 2021
at 7:10 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/11/14/stephen-currys-homecoming-soured-as-hornets-snap-warriors-winning-streak/

CHARLOTTE — For once, Stephen Curry couldn’t hit the big shot.

So happens, it came in front of his friends and family in his first game
back in his hometown in two years. He wowed the home crowd with a
no-look, half-court, over-the-head assist and a buzzer-beating
3-pointer, but neither highlight came when the Warriors needed it most
in the fourth quarter.

The Charlotte Hornets hung on to hand the Warriors their first loss in
eight games, 106-102.

“We just never gained any traction, never made a stand defensively and
never got into a rhythm offensively,” coach Steve Kerr said afterward.
“They just outplayed us. … We were not on top of our game.”

Miles Bridges sank a hook to make it 104-102, and Terry Rozier nailed a
pair of free throws to seal the game in the final minute, the last of
his 20 points, all of which came after halftime.

The Warriors limited the Hornets to 19 points in the fourth quarter, but
they were only able to muster 14 of their own.

Curry had the ball in his hands throughout the final period but could
only connect on one of his eight attempts from the field. He finished
with 24 points on 7-of-22 shooting, while Andrew Wiggins paced the
Warriors with 28 points on 19 shots.

“I wanted it so bad, I started to rush a little bit,” Curry said
afterward. “It wasn’t like we had it going all night and the defense had
to play at that pace. We’ve got to be a little bit more thoughtful about
how we create shots. I got roped into it a little bit, trying to go for
those daggers a couple times, even though I didn’t really have it.”

LaMelo Ball landed on Curry’s leg and remained on top of him for a
moment while going for a rebound late in the fourth quarter. Curry
stayed in the game and afterward said he was fine, but he didn’t hit
another shot.

Kerr blamed the Warriors’ scoring troubles on poor shot selection.

“I thought we got really rushed,” Kerr said. “I didn’t feel like we had
the same spacing and trust in terms of moving the ball. … We never
really did get much of an offensive rhythm all game, but especially
there in the fourth quarter.”

Golden State entered the fourth quarter with an 88-87 advantage after
Curry drew some of the loudest cheers of the night. He banked in a
buzzer beater from 36 feet — an immediate answer to Kelly Oubre’s
go-ahead 3-pointer on the previous possession. Curry’s shot garnered
louder cheers but it couldn’t spark the separation the Warriors have
been able to get in the second half during their seven-game winning
streak, which came to an end Sunday.

Curry hadn’t lost in his hometown since 2013 and was averaging 28.6
points in eight previous games inside this arena. However, he hasn’t
turned in a signature performance here in almost four years. He missed
last season’s game after falling ill and was limited to 16 points on
5-of-18 shooting in 2019.

Curry’s father, Dell, and other family members were on hand. He made
sure to greet select fans in courtside seats, including rapper J Cole.

Autograph seekers lined up two or three deep above the Warriors’ tunnel,
and Curry satisfied them with dozens of signatures after giving
onlookers the usual spectacle in his warm-up routine.

Curry said after practice Saturday that the southern fastfood chain
Bojangles would be among his stops back home but joked that it would
have to come after the game, lest a possible “serious itis situation”
that would lead to a Charlotte win.

And at times, the Warriors looked a little lethargic.

Golden State struggled to pull away as it has been able to during its
seven-game stretch of double-digit wins. After Mason Plumlee snuck
behind the defense for an uncontested dunk that tied the game at 70,
Golden State called timeout, and an animated Mike Brown tore into
players coming off the floor.

It wasn’t a lack of effort, according to Kerr, but rather a lack of
competitiveness. He said there’s a difference.

“We were doing everything we could to get the guys going and find that
traction. We just never could find it,” Kerr said. “Mike was doing his
best, I was doing my best. Some nights, it’s just not going to happen. …
I thought we played hard, but I didn’t think we competed.”

Little could be done to stop Charlotte or heat up the Warriors’ shooting.

“We’re the number one defense in the league, but it didn’t look like it
tonight,” Kerr said, noting Charlotte’s 48% success rate from the field.
“We weren’t connected. We didn’t string together stops.”

>CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 14: Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the
Golden State Warriors reacts after making a basket against the Charlotte
Hornets during the second quarter during their game at Spectrum Center
on November 14, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob
Kupferman/Getty Images)

Rookie Jonathan Kuminga gave the Warriors a spark at the start of the
second quarter. He scored Golden State’s first eight points of the
period and acted as the focal point of the offense. After Kuminga’s
fourth straight bucket, the Warriors tried to force him the ball but
turned it over on consecutive possessions.

Early turnovers plagued the fast-paced, free-flowing Warriors.

They racked up seven in the first quarter for the second straight game
while falling into a seven-point hole and finished the game with 15.

Getting back on the road after two straight weeks at home was supposed
to provide some more good vibes for a Golden State squad that just
reeled off seven straight home wins. Instead, the Warriors were handed
their second loss in 13 games this season.

“You go out on the road for the first time, maybe you have a little
false sense of security after seven straight home wins,” Kerr said. “It
felt like a team that hadn’t been on the road in a couple weeks and
forgot how connected you have to be (and) how hard you have to compete.”

The Warriors practiced Saturday evening after landing in Charlotte, then
went out for a team dinner, relishing the team-bonding activities newly
available to them after two years defined by COVID-19 restrictions.

>RELATED ARTICLES
Draymond Green’s football tape does not impress the Manning brothers
Warriors on facing Durant again: ‘We all love each other and respect
each other’
Steph Curry gets second Player of the Week honor in Warriors’ young
season
How Jonathan Kuminga has earned his place in the Warriors’ rotation
Warriors 3 Things: Don’t fret the loss to the Hornets — celebrate the
emergence of Jonathan Kuminga

The meal that was on Curry’s mind, though, was the iconic fast-food
chain that shares the same birthplace as the Warriors star.

“I gotta stop at Bojangles,” Curry said before the game. “I won’t tell
our trainers and sports performance team about that detour, but that’s
definitely got to be on the itinerary. … After the game, it’s a good
celebratory situation for sure.”

Unfortunately, there was little to celebrate Sunday night.

>CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 14: Kelly Oubre Jr. #12 of the
Charlotte Hornets drives to the basket while guarded by Andrew Wiggins
#22 of the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter during their
game at Spectrum Center on November 14, 2021 in Charlotte, North
Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by
Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

>CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 14: Draymond Green #23 of the
Golden State Warriors reacts to a call and gets a technical foul during
the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at
Spectrum Center on November 14, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE
TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and
or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions
of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty
Images)

--
Evan Webeck | Reporter
Evan Webeck covers high-school sports on the field and beyond — and a
little bit of everything else — for the Bay Area News Group. A Pacific
Northwest native and graduate of Arizona State, Evan has previously
worked for The Seattle Times, MLB.com and Sports Illustrated.