Durant, Curry lead Warriors over Hornets 113 103

Kevin Durant (Pictured) scored 16 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry added 28 points on six 3-pointers in his annual homecoming game and the Golden State Warriors rallied to beat the Charlotte Hornets 113-103 on Wednesday night. (Photo: Golden State Warriors/ Facebook)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Kevin Durant scored 16 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry added 28 points on six 3-pointers in his annual homecoming game and the Golden State Warriors rallied to beat the Charlotte Hornets 113-103 on Wednesday night.

Klay Thompson had 19 points for the Warriors, who avenged a 105-102 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday.

Curry capped a memorable trip home to Charlotte in which he had his high school jersey retired and was honoured at Davidson College with the naming of “Section 30” at Belk Arena where the Wildcats play their home games.

Curry was 11 of 23 from the field, including 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. He came in averaging 36.3 points and 6.7 assists while shooting 53 per cent from the field in his previous three games in Charlotte.

Curry’s return following his second MVP award drew a crowd of 19,639, the largest to see a game at the Spectrum Center.

After trailing by six at halftime, the Hornets grabbed the lead with a 19-4 run to start the second half and led 80-75 entering the fourth quarter. It was only the eighth time this season the Warriors (39-7) have trailed after three quarters.

But the Warriors came storming back in the fourth and Durant gave them the lead for good with 5:25 left on a pair of foul shots. Durant finished 10 of 10 from the line and Curry knocked down two clutch 3-pointers in the final three minutes to seal the victory.

Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 26 points while battling through an illness.

TIP INS

Warriors: Curry’s college coach Bob McKillop sat courtside to watch the game. … Golden State twice fouled Marco Belinelli on 3-point attempts resulting in seven points in the fourth quarter, including the technical foul on Klay Thompson for arguing one of the calls.

Hornets: Roy Hibbert started in place of Cody Zeller, who missed the game with a quadriceps contusion. … Walker played despite being listed as questionable with an illness. … Frank Kaminsky entered with a mask on to protect his broken nose, but discarded it a few minutes later. … Spencer Hawes had a big first half for the Hornets with seven points, 10 rebounds and three assists off the bench.

UP NEXT

Warriors: Return home to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. They are 20-3 at home.

Hornets: After going 3-2 on their homestand, the Hornets head to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks on Friday night.