CHARLOTTE -- Going inside the Warriors' 106-101 win over Charlotte Friday night
In what is starting to become more common than not, Charlotte (4-13) once again had a nice lead in the fourth quarter, only to see it dwindle away and eventually evaporate.
This time, the Hornets led by eight at 84-76 with 10:48 left to play. From that moment on, the game belonged to Golden State (13-2).
The Warriors, who are on an eight-game winning streak, outscored Charlotte 21-6 over the next 8:04 to give them the lead at 97-90 with 2:33 left to play.
This is becoming a theme with Charlotte, which has blown numerous big leads during its eight-game losing streak, including a 23-point lead against Orlando on Nov. 21.
This time leading the way for the opposition was center Marreese Speights, who scored 16 of his 27 in the fourth quarter. Also leading to the cause was Charlotte's 1-of-11 shooting from 3-point range in the second half.
Hornets head coach Steve Clifford is a no-nonsense type of guy and you always know exactly what he's thinking and where he stands on issues. But at the same point, he's always very level headed.
Following his team's loss in which it gave up 18 second chance points on 16 offensive rebounds, he didn't hide the fact that he's rather livid with Charlotte's lack of rebounding. As a result, his press conference lasted roughly one minute and he only fielded one question.
"If we're not going to rebound the ball, we're not going to win," he said. "It never matters how well you play if you get tattooed on the glass. ...
"Guys gotta rebound. It's not like this is the first time. It's an effort area and a physicality area."
Before thanking the media and in attendance and abruptly walking out, he added, "If you're not going to rebound the ball, you damn well better make sure your guy doesn't."
Entering the game, Charlotte ranked second-best in the league in offensive rebounds allowed at 8.8.
It's not often that a reserve guard, especially one that went undrafted coming out of college, gets on a roll like the one Brian Roberts of the Hornets is on.
Roberts hit his first six shots of the game against Golden State, but it goes well beyond that. In his previous three games, Roberts had made 15-of-26 shots.
All told, he's made 23 of his last 37 shots, which equates to a shooting percentage of 62.2.
Moreover, he finished with 20 points or more for the second straight game, which is odd considering he only had two 20-point games in his previous 165 outings.
As a result, he's found himself playing the entire fourth quarter in close games lately, while high-priced free agent signee Lance Stephenson has been relegated to the bench during the final 12 minutes of the game.
Before landing with New Orleans two seasons ago, Roberts played in the D-League, Israel and Germany, the latter of which was for two seasons. He's now in his third season in the NBA and his first with the Hornets.
It's been quite a journey to get to this point for the 28-year-old.
"I can't tell you why (I'm shooting well)," Roberts said. "I'm not a big stat guy. But it's a long way from Israel and it's a long way from Germany. I'm just trying to cherish every minute."
13-2 -- The Warriors are off to their best start in the 69-year history of the franchise at 13-2
10/10 -- Hornets forward Cody Zeller continues to play well as he scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, recording his first double-double of the season and only the second of his career.
"I worked a lot during the summer and people only see the results on the court, they don't see all the reps I put in during the summer," Zeller said on feeling more confident and being more aggressive offensively.
Follow Brett Jensen on Twitter @Brett_Jensen
