Hornets spoil Curry's homecoming again, beat Warriors in OT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – P.J. Washington scored 31 points, Gordon Hayward added 23 and the Charlotte Hornets once again spoiled Stephen Curry’s annual homecoming game with a 120-113 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. Kelly Oubre Jr added 18 points as the Hornets beat the Warriors for the fourth straight year at the Spectrum Center in Curry’s hometown despite playing without their starting backcourt of LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier. Curry scored 31 points and had 11 rebounds to pace the Warriors, but missed a tightly contested 3-pointer at the end of regulation that would have won the game. He also air-balled a 3 in overtime and finished 3 of 13 from beyond the arc. Jordan Poole had 24 points off the bench for the Warriors. In the extra period, Jalen McDaniels knocked down a momentum-turning 3-pointer from the left wing and Dennis Smith Jr. scored on a drive to the hole to give the Hornets the lead for good at 116-111. Curry made two free throws but Washington scored again inside, muscling a shot up and in to push the lead back to five. Washington had six points in the overtime period. Smith finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Charlotte. The Warriors have not beaten the Hornets in Charlotte since Feb. 25, 2019. Charlotte led by 14 in the third quarter after holding Klay Thompson and Curry to 0-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. But Curry and Thompson knocked down 3s on back-to-back possessions to spark the Warriors, who briefly took the lead. But the Hornets, playing on a second night of a back-to-back, would push the lead to six in the fourth quarter behind Washington and Oubre, who blew a kiss at the Warriors bench after sinking a big 3. The Hornets had built 62-50 halftime lead behind 15 points each from Hayward and Washington and some terrific hustle from Mason Plumlee, who had nine rebounds and six assists before the break. The Warriors were just 13 of 44 from 3-point range and were outrebounded 54-50. TIP INS Warriors: Fell to 0-2 on the road. … Draymond Green fouled out with 22.9 seconds left in overtime. Hornets: Coach Steve Clifford hopes to get Ball (ankle), Rozier (ankle) and Cody Martin (quad) back on the court soon, but offered no set timetable. Clifford said all three have participated in the last couple of shootarounds and are ‘œgetting closer.” Ball has yet to play this season. UP NEXT Warriors: at Pistons on Sunday night. Hornets: Host Kings on Monday night. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports