Sure, pulling out a win in Miami or Orlando would have been more impressive, but given their road record this year this definitely qualifies as a quality win. And with 14 of their next 18 games at home, this could be the spark that puts them on a path to stay in the race for the final playoff spot for a few more months.

What impressed me most was how they didn’t give up despite two horrible sequences. The Hornets run to close the third — after the Warriors had closed to 4 with just a few minutes remaining — was quickly countered in the opening minutes of the 4th. And after taking a 10 point lead in the closing minutes of the game, the Warriors proceeded to turn the ball over, give up an offensive rebound on a missed foul shot, and allow an uncontested layups to cut the lead to 2. But they never let the Hornets tie — thanks in part to a HUGE block by Dorell Wright on David West — and they were able to stem the bleeding and retake control of the game.

Looking at the net stats, I’ll give credit for the win to the incredible low number of turnovers from the Warriors. Despite being cleanly out-rebounded, the Warriors ended up with 5 more shot attempts from the field because they were able to hang onto the ball. The assist numbers also paint a pretty picture: they hit their season average but without anyone having more than 4, an indication of solid ball movement from everyone throughout the night.

And how about that Ekpe Udoh hook shot over David West in the back half of the 4th quarter?

So kudos to the team — I expected another blowout at the tail end of a road trip, but instead they persevered and beat a decent team on the road. Now let’s see if they can build on this!