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Warriors send Hornets to eighth straight loss

Dec 19, 2012 - 7:48 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - David Lee recorded 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists as the Golden State Warriors held off a late push by the New Orleans Hornets to take a 103-96 victory at Oracle Arena.

Klay Thompson added 19 points and Jarrett Jack contributed a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists for the Warriors, who have won two straight and seven of their last eight overall.

Carl Landry also netted 16 points to go along with nine boards, and Stephen Curry poured in 13 points in the win.

Ryan Anderson connected on four 3-pointers en route to a game-high 28 points for New Orleans, which dropped its eighth consecutive contest.

Greivis Vasquez went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and finished with 20 points, 11 assists and five rebounds in the loss.

"We just haven't found that closing mentality, a couple guys who can knock down a shot or even get to the free throw line," Hornets coach Monty Williams said.

New Orleans entered the fourth quarter trailing, 82-72, but after a Landry basket gave the Warriors an 88-76 lead a little over two minutes into the frame, the Hornets reeled off a 16-4 run to knot the game at 92-92 on an Anthony Davis three-point play with 4:07 left to play.

But Jack put the Warriors back on top with a pair of free throws to spark a 6-0 push as the Hornets missed their next three shots.

Austin Rivers converted a driving layup to halt the quick run and bring New Orleans back within 98-94 with 1:19 to go, but after Lee made the back end of two free throws at the other end, Rivers could not connect on a 3-pointer and the Warriors were able to close out the game at the foul line.

"We had a lot of confidence tonight, a lot more confidence than in the past," said Lee. "It's no fun when a team's catching up on you like that, but I think we had confidence we could make plays down the stretch."

The lead exchanged hands eight times over the first seven-plus minutes of action until Thompson followed a Vasquez 3-pointer with a triple of his own to spark a 9-0 spurt by the Warriors, giving them a 24-16 edge with just under three minutes left in the first quarter.

Anderson connected on a trey to halt the run and then drained a jumper following a Jack basket to get New Orleans back within 26-21, but Golden State scored the final five points of the first to carry a 31-21 advantage into the second quarter.

The Warriors then opened the second with a 7-3 push to open up a 38-24 lead before the Hornets responded with 15-7 run to get back within 45-39 with six minutes left in the half.

But they would get no closer than that and trailed, 59-50, at the break.

Game Notes

The Warriors improved to 14-0 this season when leading after three quarters ... Golden State is 7-3 at home this season, while New Orleans fell to 2-9 on the road ... The Hornets have not dropped eight straight games since Jan. 29- Feb. 10 of last season ... Davis finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds.