Warriors vs. Hornets: The rise of the McBench

Game Information

Golden State Warriors (41-7) vs. Charlotte Hornets (23-26)

How to watch

Date: Wednesday February 1, 2017

Time: 7:30pm PST

Location: Oracle Arena — Oakland, CA

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: 95.7 THE GAME

Team comparison

Injury report

Last updated 2:30pm on 1/31/17

Warriors: David West; Stephen Curry; Zaza Pachulia

Hornets: Jeremy Lamb; Cody Zeller

After numerous homecoming events in North Carolina for Stephen Curry last week, this time the Golden State Warriors will host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday evening.

Skidding Hornets

While Charlotte celebrates Kemba Walker’s successful bid to the 2017 All-Star Game, the Hornets have lost 12 of their last 15 games and are on a five game losing streak. Tonight’s game is the second of a back-to-back for the Hornets, who lost their match-up against the Portland Trailblazers last night.

The Hornets are an impressive 15-1 when they have kept their opponents under 100 points. That will be a difficult task against a Warriors team that is first in the league in points per game at 118.

When these two teams met last week in Charlotte, the Hornets actually held a lead going into the fourth quarter but were eventually overwhelmed by the firepower of the Warriors.

For the Hornets to take tonight’s game they will have to have an all-star worthy performance from Walker and hope the absence of several injured Warriors’ players is enough to tilt the scales in their favor.

Ailing Warriors

Despite having a few days to rest since their last game against Portland on Sunday, the Warriors will likely have several players sitting out of tonight’s game.

Curry, who scored 28 points the last time these teams met, is still out with the flu. And now, on top of the loss of David West a couple weeks ago, Zaza Pachulia is questionable and underwent an MRI on his right shoulder.

With the loss of those two big men, James Michael McAdoo may be called upon to play heavier minutes in this game. In their last game against the Hornets, McAdoo played more minutes than Pachulia and Javale McGee combined. McAdoo rewarded Steve Kerr’s decision with eight points, seven rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist. It will go a long way if he can replicate that production off the bench.

Fellow bench players McGee and Patrick McCaw should also garner some minutes with the absence of Curry, Pachulia and West.

The verdict

Even with all the injuries, the Warriors still have Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston active for this game. Those players alone are enough to handle a struggling Hornets team. Not to mention the fact that the Hornets will be on the second game of a back-to-back on the road.

Look for Kerr to use this as an opportunity to mix up his lineups and give his “McBench” (McAdoo, McGee and McCaw) some quality minutes.

Jason’s Predictions

Score: Warriors 120 - Hornets 101

High Scorers: Kevin Durant (GSW) and Kemba Walker (CHA)