The Charlotte Hornets will have the capability of using an unusual means of slowing down Stephen Curry — shadowing him with his brother, Seth — when they duel the Golden State Warriors on Friday in San Francisco.
Both teams will be seeking a second win in as many nights.
After going into the All-Star break with three consecutive home victories, the Hornets opened a four-game trip with a 115-107 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday in Salt Lake City.
Seth Curry contributed 10 points to the victory.
Meanwhile, the Warriors were recording a 128-110 home triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers, a game in which Stephen Curry scored 32 points, including 25 in the first half.
The Hornets and Warriors will be meeting for the first time this season, reuniting the Curry brothers. The two have gone head-to-head 17 previous times in their NBA careers, including four times in a Warriors sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2019 playoffs.
Stephen also owns a 9-4 advantage in the regular season, outscoring his younger brother by an average of 26.1 to 10.2.
They dueled just once last season, with Stephen getting the better of his brother 26-12 in a Warriors home win over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 22, 2023.
Both brothers, like their teams, enter the Friday meeting on a nice roll.
Stephen Curry has scored 30 or more points in four of his past six games, a stretch in which he made six or more 3-pointers five times. He went 6-for-13 from beyond the arc on Thursday.
The Warriors star got plenty of support against the Lakers, especially on the boards, where Golden State held a surprising 48-41 advantage. Rookie guard Brandin Podziemski was one of seven Warriors with four or more, leading the way with nine.
“Coach (Steve Kerr) gives me the freedom to crash the glass as I see fit,” Podziemski said. “I try to do my part to help our big guys out because we are kinda undersized … to get extra possessions for our offense and limit (the opponent) to one shot on defense.”
Seth Curry made only one 3-pointer in four tries at Utah, but he hit four of his eight shots overall. He has gone 15-for-27 from the field in his past three games, averaging 12.3 points.
Miles Bridges came up biggest in the win over the Jazz with 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Grant Williams drilled six 3-pointers to account for a majority of his 24 points off the bench.
The Hornets made 20 3-pointers in their win, four more than the Warriors had in one fewer attempt against the Lakers.
Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said afterward his club can shoot with the best of them — even Golden State — when it enjoys multiplayer success as it did Thursday.
“The biggest thing in the game was the 3-point shooting,” Clifford said of a night when Bridges’ 4-for-6, Davis Bertans’ 3-for-3 and Brandon Miller’s 3-for-9 complemented Williams’ 6-for-11.
“Grant hit (two) threes in like five or six possessions (during a fourth-quarter run) and then Miles hit two huge (jumpers) in the last four minutes. If you make 48 percent from three, you’re going to have a good chance to win.”
–Field Level Media