Speights scores 16 in 4th, Warriors top Hornets

Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors struggled for three quarters until Marreese Speights woke them up in the fourth.

Speights netted Golden State's first 16 points in the final frame and the Warriors defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 106-101, on Friday night.

Speights, who scored 27 points overall on 12-of-20 shooting, hit eight of his first nine shots in the stanza after entering the period 4-of-9 from the field.

Golden State's first non-Speights score in the fourth came on a Klay Thompson pull-up right wing 3-pointer with 4:30 left.

"The guy saved us again," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "He carried us offensively when we were in a funk."

Stephen Curry added 26 points and six assists for the Warriors, who have won eight in a row.

Brian Roberts put in 20 points off the bench, Cody Zeller posted 15 points and 14 rebounds and Al Jefferson put in 18 points for Charlotte, which has dropped eight consecutive games.

"If we don't start hitting and rebounding, nothing else will matter," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.

The Warriors trailed 80-74 heading into the fourth, but Speights' up-and-under reverse along the left baseline capped a 14-6 swing and gave them their first lead in the quarter, 88-86, with 5:25 to play.

Thompson's triple made it 93-88 and Curry scored the Warriors' next six points, with his layup providing them a 99-93 advantage with 1:43 to go.

Charlotte never cut the deficit below three, but that came on Zeller's layup in the waning seconds. Curry made two foul shots to seal the outcome at the other end.

Golden State led 28-24 following a quarter of play, but the Hornets outscored the Warriors 31-21 in the second and went into the break with a 55-49 lead.

Game Notes

Golden State pulled down 16 offensive rebounds and tallied 18 second-chance points ... The Warriors shot 42.4 percent (42-of-99) from the field and made 15 of their 16 foul shots.