Hornets Reactions: Draymond Green’s triple-double fuels Warriors to blowout win

Backed by Draymond Green’s triple-double, the Warriors avenged last week’s improbable loss to the Hornets with a 130-121 victory.

Green started fast, achieved a triple-double in three quarters and set a career-high in assists with 19, a mark that is also tied for top honors in the NBA this season. The Warriors trailed only briefly early on the night and in the second quarter.

But after taking a 44-43 lead on a Damian Lee 3-pointer with 4:21 to go in the second quarter, Golden State never trailed again. Charlotte kept it close enough throughout that the Warriors started had to close the game but never seriously threatened in the fourth.

Malik Monk finished with 25 points off the bench for Charlotte to lead the way while Terry Rozier had 24. LaMelo Ball had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Green finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 19 assists. Steph Curry had 29 and Kelly Oubre 27.

The Good: Draymond Green

Credit to where it's due. Green admitted he cost Golden State a victory last week in Charlotte. He vowed earlier in the week to make it right and he was brilliant from the onset on Friday. In the first quarter alone, Green had seven points, seven rebounds and eight assists. He finished with as easy a triple-double as he's going to have, needing only three quarters to accomplish before adding to it throughout the fourth. He dominated the game in a way only Green can. An impressive response from Green.

The Bad: Interior defense

Down Cody Zeller on the night, the Hornets going with Cody Martin in the starting lineup in his place and P.J. Washington getting in early foul trouble spelled disaster for interior defense on the night. Golden State finished with 72 points in the paint, 26 more than the Hornets in that area. The Hornets tried to match the Warriors with some small ball with Bismack Biyombo playing just 12 minutes despite the team being shorthanded in the front court. Jalen McDaniels played 16 minutes and Martin, after barely playing at all in recent weeks, finished with 25 minutes.

LaMelo Ball: A quiet impressive night

Statistically speaking, Ball had an impressive outing. But it never felt like he, nor any other Hornet, had much of an impact in the game until it was too late. Nonetheless, 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting overall, 3-of-8 shooting from 3-point range and 5-of-8 shooting at the line along with seven rebounds and six assists is a strong outing. His plus-minus of -14, though, tells a more accurate story of his night.

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