SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry had 15 points and five assists on a night father Dell broadcast a game for the first time with his two sons matching up, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Charlotte Hornets 97-84 on Friday night after the teams tussled in the closing moments.
Players were held back from each other after they tangled with 10.9 seconds left — Golden State’s Lester Quinones getting ejected along with Grant Williams from Charlotte. Hornets forward Miles Bridges received a technical.
Quinones drove to the basket and Bridges was called for goaltending.
“I don’t really understand why people get so mad at somebody scoring at the end of the game. It’s like this dumb, unofficial, unwritten rule,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said, acknowledging he considers Bridges like a little brother. “If you all were winning by 13 points would you get mad if he laid a ball up? I doubt it. So it’s kind of like a sore loser type thing.”
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Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he always tells his team to keep playing when there’s a shot clock differential and “that should not offend anybody.”
“I don’t think it was anything major. Maybe a little shove here and there,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “There’s frustration, whatever, it’s going to happen.”
Earlier Friday, Kerr agreed to a $35 million, two-year contract extension, according to two people with direct knowledge of the deal, and Golden State went out and completed a winning back-to-back at home with its 10th win in 12 games.
While he said he was asked not to speak about the new contract until he has formally signed, Kerr smiled and said he feels “really good” about his future here.
Klay Thompson came off the bench to score 13 points and hit three 3-pointers, while rookie Brandin Podziemski contributed 13 points, six rebounds and six assists. Jonathan Kuminga matched his career high with six assists and Green had 13 rebounds as the Warriors dominated the Hornets on the boards, 53-43.
Curry’s younger brother, Seth, was traded from Dallas to Charlotte this month and now wears his father’s No. 30 in the original Hornets jersey. They all were thrilled for this special opportunity with Dell wearing the headset for the Charlotte broadcast with both his sons playing.
Stephen Curry moved past Elgin Baylor (23,149) into 33rd place on the NBA’s scoring list. Curry has 23,160 points.
Bridges had 19 points and 11 rebounds for an undermanned, cold-shooting Charlotte team that had won four straight following a 10-game losing streak. The Hornets shot just 25.6% in the opening half to fall behind 43-29 at the break — the first time the Warriors have held an opponent to below 30 points in a half since Denver’s 29 in the second half on Dec. 28, 2021, and the first time in a first half since Jan. 19, 2015, also against the Nuggets (28).
In addition, Charlotte’s 14 second-quarter points were a Warriors’ opponent season low for any quarter. Nick Richards contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds and Seth Curry wound up scoring six points missing all three of his 3-point tries.
Gary Payton II returned to the Warriors after sitting out Thursday in a 128-110 win ovcer the Lakers because of an illness and came off the bench to score 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
UP NEXT
Hornets: At Portland on Sunday night.
Warriors: Host Denver on Sunday.
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