Warriors 100 - 112 Hornets
Final
  for this game

Warriors open road trip in Charlotte

Jan 14, 2012 - 5:11 PM (Sports Network) - There should be no need for a "Hack a Howard" defense tonight when the Golden State Warriors kick off a four-game road trip against an offensively challenged Charlotte club.

Warriors first-year head coach Mark Jackson, without defensive-minded center Kwame Brown and perhaps longing for his roots on a physical New York club, opted to employ a severe case of "Hack a Shaq" on Thursday, sending Shaquille O'Neal's Doppelganger, Howard, to the free throw line an NBA record 39 times.

Howard only made 21 of his attempts, but finished with a career-high 45 points and converted a go-ahead three-point play with 65 seconds remaining to help Orlando outlast Golden State, 117-109. The previous free-throw attempt record was held by the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, who shot 34 against St. Louis on February 22, 1962.

Monta Ellis led Golden State with 30 points, while David Lee added 26 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out.

The Warriors, who have lost six of seven, will also visit Detroit, Cleveland and New Jersey on their trip.

Brown, a former Bobcat, remains on the shelf with a torn pectoral muscle while star guard Stephen Curry is sidelined with a sprained right ankle. Meanwhile, forward Dorell Wright is questionable for tonight with a bruised knee.

As poorly as Golden State has played this season, the Bobcats have been even worse and lost their sixth straight game in the opener of a three-game homestand on Friday against Detroit. The Pistons' Jonas Jerebko had 22 points and nine rebounds in that one as Detroit halted a six-game skid on its own with a 98-81 rout.

The Bobcats, who are a dismal 2-10 on the season, were led by Byron Mullens' 18 points. Kemba Walker added 16, while D.J. White and Tyrus Thomas both had 10.

"We're not playing the best we can," said White. "It takes some time but we'll get it done, I feel we will."

Mullens, a second-year center out of Ohio State, has been a rare bright spot during Charlotte's gloomy stretch. He had a career-high 21 points in Thursday's loss to the Hawks.

The Bobcats, who have won four of their past five against the Warriors, dropped six in a row twice last season, but haven't lost seven straight since Nov. 7-20, 2009.






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