New Orleans, LA – Jarrett Jack finished with a double-double for the second consecutive night and the Golden State Warriors snapped out of a three-game funk with a 116-112 triumph over the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday.
In his first game back in New Orleans, where he spent the past two seasons, Jack scored 25 points to go along with 12 assists.
"People tend to say that you play with a chip on your shoulder when you play against your old team," said Jack. "I play with a chip on my shoulder all of the time. Nothing has ever been given to me in this league."
Jack came off the bench, as Stephen Curry returned to the starting lineup following a two-game absence with an ankle injury.
Curry finished with 20 points, seven assists and four steals while Klay Thompson notched a game-high 29 points.
The Warriors, who came in losers in five of six, bounced back despite missing David Lee, who sat after injuring his ankle in Friday's loss to San Antonio. Carl Landry started in his place and tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds.
New Orleans was led by Eric Gordon's 23 points, but it couldn't extend a two-game winning streak. Rookie Anthony Davis finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks while Greivis Vasquez dished out 15 assists and scored eight points in defeat.
"We lost our identity tonight," said Hornets coach Monty Williams. "We gave up 116 points to a team that is undermanned. I thought they did a great job of penetrating and finding guys. They had three quarters where they scored 30 points. We didn't knock down a free throw and we turned the ball over 17 times. You don't deserve to win."
The Warriors shot a strong 61.4 percent in the first half and took a 67-57 lead into the break. Thompson was nearly unconscious through the first two periods, knocking down 10-of-13 shots -- including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc -- in scoring 24 first half points.
However, the momentum swung in the third quarter, where the Hornets outscored Golden State 32-18.
A 19-7 push by New Orleans over the final 5 1/2 minutes of the period put them on top 89-85 going into the fourth. Al-Farouq Aminu, who scored 10 in the third, began the surge with a dunk. Vasquez and Ryan Anderson then each contributed a triple to the run before Austin Rivers finished on a driving score.
Rivers then extended the Hornets' margin to seven with a short jumper at the 7:18 mark of the fourth, but the Warriors regained the lead after running off nine straight points, with Curry capping the run with a 3-pointer to put Golden State on top 104-102.
After the Hornets went back in front 110-108, Jack came up with a steal and drew a foul while driving towards the basket. He sank both from the line and knotted the score at 110-110 with 52 seconds remaining.
Jack then put the Warriors back on top for good with a running floater in the lane and gave them a 113-110 advantage after hitting 1-of-2 from the line with 22 seconds remaining.
Following a New Orleans timeout, Gordon found Vasquez with a good look from 3- point-range, but it bounced off the rim and into Jack's hands. He then sank two more free throws to put the game on ice.
Game Notes
The Warriors improved to 7-3 this season when playing the second game of a back-to-back ... Golden State's Festus Ezeli tallied 13 points and eight rebounds ... Anderson connected on 8-of-14 from the field en route to 19 points ... The Warriors converted 17 Hornets turnovers into 22 points.
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