It's not like the Charlotte Hornets were keeping the Golden State Warriors up at night. But the Warriors can't take games for granted at this stage, and they did not Friday night.
It began ugly, as many a night in the association do. But Stephen Curry snapped to life in the third quarter, sparking a 115-97 win. Here are three takeaways.
A lot of cutting and a lot of points in the paint
There was an abundance of rolling and back-door cuts from the Warriors to start this game. They had 18 points in the paint (to 4 for the Hornets) in the first 10 minutes of the game, and jumped out to a nine-point lead.
That plan worked because the Hornets are a fundamentally unserious team. They are young, immature, and defensively vulnerable.
But the Warriors have a bad habit of playing down to their competition, and they got lulled into a sleepy first half. Chris Paul alone had four turnovers in the first 17 minutes. It was a skip-to-the-second-half type of game.
That's when the Warriors returned to take control of the game in the third, and returned to continue probing the paint. They finished the game with a 64-to-38 advantage in points in the paint.
Steph breakout in the third quarter
Stephen Curry pressed in the first half against Orlando. It seemed like he tried to do too much after Draymond Green got himself ejected. He did the opposite Friday night, taking his foot off the gas quite a bit in the first half.
But he ended the first half with a deep buzzer-beater, for his eighth point of the night. It was an indication of more to come. He came out firing in the third quarter, scoring 12, and pushing the Warriors to a 13-point advantage in the quarter. He finished with 23 points (9-of-18, 4-of-11 from 3-pt), 4 assists, a steal and a rebound.
That spark from Curry permeated the roster. They had seven players with 8-plus points, and every player who stepped on the court registered a positive plus-minus. By the fourth quarter, the result was decided.
No Klay, no Kuminga, no problem
Golden State won this game without the services of Jonathan Kuminga and Klay Thompson. This was Kuminga's second-straight absence with knee soreness, while Thompson had knee tendonitis.
In their place, they got great contributions from the likes of Chris Paul, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Andrew Wiggins.
Let's start with Wiggins, because he has suddenly snapped into shape. After carrying the Warriors in the fourth quarter in Orlando, he tallied 20 points (7-of-17, 2-of6 from 3-pt), 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, a block and a couple turnovers. You never know if he'll sustain a hot streak, but he's been extremely positive as of late.
Jackson-Davis was his usual, stellar self. He wreaked havoc around the rim on either end, putting up 18 points, 8 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 3 blocks.
Chris Paul, though he's looked out of sync in a few moments lately, had a very productive game. He hit a 3-pointer to snap the Warriors out of a funk, got to his spots and managed the clock very well. He had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.
Then, there was Moses Moody, who seems to be perpetually undervalued. IF you can find a game he loafs it, let us know. The guy just plays hard, and is always ready to contribute. He was massive in that bright third quarter, adding 15 points (5-of-8, 4-of-5 from 3-pt), 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal off the bench.
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