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Warriors-Bobcats Preview
Golden State Warriors at Charlotte Bobcats
- The Bobcats have won five of their last six games against the Warriors and will be looking to extend their current win streak against them to three in a row.
- The Bobcats have been outscored 110.0 to 94.7 during their current seven-game losing streak. Five of Charlotte's seven wins this season have come at home.
- The Warriors have won three straight and six of their last seven games. Golden State will be looking to win four consecutive games for the first time since January of 2011.
- Kemba Walker has topped 20 points in three of his last four games after scoring 20+ points just three times in his first 15 games of the season.
- David Lee is averaging 11.3 points in his career against Charlotte -- the lowest scoring average in his career against any opponent.
- Stephen Curry has scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive games -- the third-longest active streak in the NBA. Curry is averaging 24.5 points in four career games against Charlotte.
By ALAN FERGUSON
(AP) -- Along with David Lee, Stephen Curry has played a pivotal role in the Golden State Warriors' superb start to their longest road trip of the season.
When he returns to a familiar place Monday night, Curry will try to help the Warriors accomplish a rare feat and end their recent woes against the struggling Charlotte Bobcats.
After a 3-4 start to the season, Golden State (13-7) has found its stride with 10 victories in its past 13 contests, and that winning hasn't stopped so far on a seven-game trip against Eastern Conference foes.
The Warriors are 3-0 on that trek to tie their longest overall win streak of the season. They defeated Washington 101-97 in their latest stop Saturday.
Lee, averaging a team-best 24.7 points and 14.3 rebounds during the trip, led the way with 24 points and 17 boards. Klay Thompson had 23 points and Curry scored 22 for his seventh consecutive game with at least 20.
Curry has averaged 24.5 points on 50.7 percent shooting in four games against Charlotte, making 14 of 22 from 3-point range. The Warriors guard starred at Charlotte Christian High School and nearby Davidson University.
His father, Dell Curry, spent 10 seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and is now a Bobcats broadcaster.
He'll be watching as the Warriors try to start 4-0 on a road trip for the first time since sweeping a five-gamer Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 1978. They're also seeking to clinch their first winning record on a road trip of seven games or longer since going 4-3 from Dec. 7-15, 1970.
Golden State is are 7-4 on the road after going 37-119 outside of Oakland over the previous four seasons.
"We're trying to change the culture and overcome a lot of things that we're not used to," Curry said. "You've got to be able to perform at a high level night-in and night-out on the road and we're playing well."
The Warriors appear to have a good chance to keep rolling with Charlotte (7-12) having dropped seven in a row overall and five straight at home. Golden State, though, has dropped five of the last six meetings and was one of the few teams to lose to the 7-59 Bobcats last season.
Curry missed that 112-100 defeat in Charlotte on Jan. 14 because of an ankle injury. Lee had a team-best 24 points and 16 rebounds, but only one other Warriors player scored more than 12.
Gerald Henderson led the way for Charlotte with 26 points. Kemba Walker scored a season-high 23 and Byron Mullens added 20.
The Bobcats' recent woes have mainly been on defense. They've given up an average of 110.0 points during their skid and finished four shy of matching a franchise record for points allowed Saturday in a 132-102 loss to San Antonio.
The Spurs made a franchise-record 19 3-pointers and had seven players score in double figures. Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap benched Mullens and Brendan Haywood at the start of the game, but replacements Bismack Biyombo and DeSagana Diop totaled four points.
"It was to let everybody know that there is some live chairs," Dunlap said. "When you're going through this process it's important to live to the standard of how you want guys to play, and for us that's (playing) extremely hard."
Updated December 9, 2012
© 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
