https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/observations-trayce-jackson-davis-hornets/1718475/

What we learned as Jackson-Davis shines in Warriors' win over Hornets

By Michael Wagaman

• Published March 29, 2024

Stephen Curry had another brilliant game in his hometown, tossing in 23
points to pace the short-handed Warriors to a 115-97 win over the
Charlotte Hornets on Friday at Spectrum Center.

Andrew Wiggins stayed hot with 20 points, eight rebounds and eight
assists. Trayce Jackson-Davis added 18 points, eight rebounds and three
blocks.

The victory was the Warriors’ first in Charlotte since Feb. 25, 2019,
and improved Golden State to 3-1 on this five-game road trip.

More importantly, the Warriors (39-34) maintained their grip on the
final NBA play-in position in the Western Conference with their win over
the Hornets (18-55). The NBA’s hottest team, the Houston Rockets,
entered the day trailing the Dubs by one game.

Like they did two days earlier when Draymond Green was ejected less than
four minutes into the game, the Warriors won this one missing key players.

Klay Thompson sat out with right knee tendinitis while Jonathan Kuminga
missed his second consecutive game with left knee tendinitis. Chris Paul
got the start in place of Thompson and had 11 points, nine assists and
seven rebounds.

Green, back in the mix after getting kicked out of the Orlando game on
Wednesday, kept his cool and had eight points and eight rebounds.

Jackson-Davis helped the Warriors get off to a good start, notching six
points, two rebounds and a block in the first quarter. Curry later made
buzzer-beating 3-pointer to put the Warriors up 50-45 at halftime.

Curry stayed sharp in the third quarter as Golden State extended its
lead to 89-71.

Here are the takeaways from Friday’s game:

Defensive Doings

It took a while for the offense to click, but fortunately for the
Warriors, their defense remained the tight, secure unit it has been on
this road trip.

Golden State started showing it early when it allowed just 17 points in
the first quarter and held Charlotte to 38.5-percent (15-of-39) shooting
in the first half.

This was the third consecutive game and eighth time overall during the
2023-24 NBA season that the Warriors have allowed fewer than 100 points.
They are a perfect 8-0 in those games.

Hornets rookie Brandon Miller was kept quiet most of the game, scoring
12 points – five fewer than his average. Miller was just 5-of-15 shooting.

Picking Up The Scoring Slack

Thompson and Kuminga have been two of the Warriors’ most consistent
scorers lately, and with both men on the bench with knee injuries,
someone needed to pick up the slack.

It took a team-wide effort to make up for the 34 points that Thompson
and Kuminga were averaging combined. Curry and Wiggins did their part to
keep the starting unit rolling. Curry is Curry and Wiggins has been
playing some of his basketball of the 2023-24 season, so that was a good
sign.

Jackson-Davis also helped with his most productive game in more than a
week, shooting 9 of 13 and finishing plus-11.

Golden State also got nice efforts off the bench from Moses Moody (15
points) and Kevon Looney (eight points).

Turnover Troubles Turnaround

One of Golden State’s most troubling issues against the Hornets was its
unforced errors. The Warriors committed 12 turnovers, eight of them in
the first half.

Surprisingly, one of the biggest offenders was Chris Paul. CP3 threw the
ball away four times, three coming in the first half alone when he tried
to force the ball inside or attempted to push it up the floor.

The turnovers, which led to 18 points, were the the primary reason the
Hornets were able to stick close in the first half.

Everything turned around in the second half when the Warriors did a much
better job of taking care of the ball. As a result, they were able to
score pretty much at will, pouring in 65 points over the final two quarters.