Kevin Durant, Warriors Destroy Kemba Walker, Hornets as Stephen Curry Drops 25

Randy Montgomery August 18, 2024

61 2 minutes read

Stephen Curry scored 25 points, and Klay Thompson added 24 greater because the Golden State Warriors overwhelmed the Charlotte Hornets 137-ninety on Sunday at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Golden State ahead Kevin Durant contributed 11 points and nine assists for Golden State, who made 21 of 33 suggestions. Willy Hernangomez scored 22 points in 23 minutes off the bench for the 35-forty one Hornets, who fell three video games behind the Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference’s 8th and very last playoff spot. Kemba Walker scored simply nine factors on four-of-14 shooting. The 52-24 Warriors took a one-recreation part over the fifty one-25 Denver Nuggets for the Western Conference lead. Denver misplaced 95-90 to the Washington Wizards on Sunday.

Despite the Drama, Warriors Clear Favorites to Earn No. 1 Seed in West The Warriors lost a bewildering and dramatic 131-a hundred thirty additional time matchup to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday that featured questionable calls down the stretch:

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Curry, Durant and head coach Steve Kerr were not pleased:

That recreation’s result has a mild threat to determine the final results of the season, in particular, if the Warriors fall to second in the Western Conference and lose home-court docket gain for the duration of the West playoffs with the aid of distinctive feature of a misplaced tiebreaker or one-game deficit. However, this ending and fallout will probably not have any bearing on the Warriors’ postseason finish. The Nuggets had a fair greater disappointing result on Sunday, dropping 95-90 domestic to the 32-46 Wizards. Not most effective that, however, the Nuggets had been 31-6 at domestic and going through a team that entered Sunday just 9-30 on the road. It’s stunning disenchanted any way you have a look at it.

That might be a tough loss for the Nuggets to get better from, particularly thinking about their brutal slate down the stretch. Denver will play five immediately video games versus Western Conference playoff teams: the Warriors, the 44-33 San Antonio Spurs, the forty eight-28 Portland Trail Blazers (twice), and the forty six-30 Utah Jazz. They’ll be on the street for Golden State, one Blazers matchup, and the Jazz recreation. Finally, Denver closes at home versus Minnesota. Plus, if the presumably preferred Warriors beat the Nuggets, they may be two games up on Denver with the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand, thanks to a three-1 series part.

The Nuggets could nonetheless be mathematically alive for the No. 1 seed despite a hypothetical loss, but that might be a near-impossibility given the Warriors’ remaining stretch. Golden State should be favored in every recreation till the cease of the regular season. Four of its ultimate 5 are towards teams who may be home for the playoffs: the 35-forty two Los Angeles Lakers, 19-fifty eight Cleveland Cavaliers, 32-46 New Orleans Pelicans 31-forty five Memphis Grizzlies. The 5th game is home versus the forty six-31 Los Angeles Clippers. Earning the No. 1 seed isn’t always a stone-bloodless lock, of course. However, the Warriors ought to have the West secured with some games to spare, making the Minnesota matchup a far-off memory.