by Kerem Ozkan

In the second game of a four-game road trip, the Hornets once again failed to turn a valiant comeback attempt into a victory. This time, it was the resurgent Golden State Warriors hanging on for a 103-96 victory, improving to 17-8 for the season. The Hornets have lost eight straight, good for a 5-19 record.

The Warriors jumped out to an early 14-point lead in the second quarter that they never relinquished. The Hornets played Golden State to a draw in the second half, even tying the game at 92 — but it was too little, too late.

David Lee led the way for the Warriors, scoring 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, with many of those shots made against Anthony Davis. Former Hornets Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack each chipped in a very efficient 16 points, making up for an off night for starting guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Jack told the Associated Press this was “just another game.” Landry countered, “Not for me. And I don't think it was for him. Not at all, man. Jarrett was extra amped-up and I was too, man.”

Monty Williams put Anthony Davis back in the starting lineup after four games of bringing the rookie off the bench. Davis responded with a solid 15 points, 11 rebounds and excellent defense. Ryan Anderson, once again a sixth man, scored 28 points on 22 shots. His shot wasn’t falling, but he made up for it by getting to the free throw line eight times — a great sign, as Anderson often struggles to draw fouls. However, Anderson failed to grab a single rebound, which is one reason why the Hornets were outrebounded 44-33.

Greivis Vasquez and Austin Rivers both scored efficiently, moved the ball, and outplayed their relatively tough matchups. Foul trouble and poor rebounding relegated Robin Lopez to 15 minutes. Simply put, Lopez is one of the most inconsistent starting centers in the entire league. It was frustrating to see a seven-footer unable to capitalize against a small team like the Warriors.

Lance Thomas started at small forward and shared time with new Hornet Dominic McGuire. Both made little impact on the game. Al-Farouq Aminu did absolutely nothing in a paltry four minutes.

The Hornets’ schedule has been the toughest in the league by far. It doesn’t get much easier as the road trip continues against the Clippers on Wednesday and Spurs on Friday.

On the bright side, Eric Gordon is expected to return in the next week, though no one is sure if Gordon is merely returning to practice, or ready to hit the floor.

Lots of great notes from Hornets247 on this one — give their recap a look.

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