Preview: Warriors look to make it three straight with Hornets in town

Game Information

Golden State Warriors (28-7) vs. Charlotte Hornets (12-22)

How to Watch

Date: Friday Dec. 29, 2017

Time: 7:30 p.m. PST

Location: Oracle Arena - Oakland, CA

TV: NBCBA

Radio: 95.7 The Game

Buddy Blog/Enemy Blog: At The Hive

Past Performance

Season series: Golden State leads 1-0 (101-87)

Winning/losing streaks: Golden State has won two in a row, Charlotte has lost one

Injury Report

Warriors: Stephen Curry (ankle, out)

Hornets: Coach Steve Clifford (illness, out)

Projected Starters

Warriors: PG Shaun Livingston, SG Klay Thompson, SF Kevin Durant, PF Draymond Green, C Zaza Pachulia

Hornets: PG Kemba Walker, SG Nicolas Batum, SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, PF Marvin Williams, C Dwight Howard

Can the Dubs build on their momentum?

Wednesday’s 126-101 blowout victory against the Utah Jazz started off slow. The Warriors were up by just one point at halftime before running away in the second half.

78 second-half points against a strong defensive team suggest that maybe the Dubs were starting to get into a much-needed offensive rhythm. They’ve struggled to score the ball without Stephen Curry, and, in what likely is their final game with Curry sidelined, another offensive explosion would all but guarantee a victory.

Charlotte seeks to turn it around

The Hornets are an odd case. Last year they had the 12th-best net rating in the league, yet still finished 10 games below .500. This year started similarly, but recently they’ve fallen off a cliff.

Kemba Walker remains brilliant, but the team is suddenly struggling mightily, both in terms of record and net rating.

With head coach Steve Clifford away from the team due to an illness, former Warriors’ assistant Stephen Silas has been patrolling the sidelines. Unfortunately, Silas hasn’t been able to turn the ship around, and Charlotte’s playoff dreams are quickly fading.

In other words, they could really use a big win against the Dubs.

Who plays in the center matchup?

Zaza Pachulia returned to action on Wednesday and regained his starting role. Still, he played far fewer minutes than Jordan Bell, who is quickly earning the title as top center on the team.

This past offseason Charlotte invested in Dwight Howard to be their starting center, yet backup Cody Zeller has arguably been better.

Who gets the minutes for each team will determine what type of game is played. It will be fun to watch.