Golden State Warriors at Charlotte Hornets

Thompson, Warriors get back on track, beat Hornets 121-110

So he finally took Durant's advice.

Cousins did just that.

Klay Thompson scored 26 points, Cousins had a season-high 24 points and 11 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Charlotte Hornets 121-110 on Monday night.

Coach Steve Kerr said it was the most comfortable Cousins has looked in a Warriors uniform.

"He made a couple of moves around the hoop where he showed great agility, but I think this is the best he's looked," Kerr said.

Cousins was happiest that he finally eclipsed 30 minutes of playing time.

"I have to hug coach Kerr for that," he said.

"It's huge for him to get his legs up under him and see the ball go in the rim and getting back to making the moves he normally makes," Durant said. "So hopefully he builds on it."

But Cousins wasn't all smiles and jokes after the game.

Stephen Curry joked that next time Cousins should "gently" toss it next time, saying he's too strong.

"Well, he didn't have an insole in his shoe so it messed with the weight of the shoe and I put a little extra on it," Cousins said with a grin.

The Warriors took a 1 1/2-game lead over the Denver Nuggets in the race for the best record in the Western Conference and erased the memory of a home loss against Houston on Saturday night.

Durant had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors, who have not lost back-to-back games since Dec. 27.

It was an off night for Curry in his return to his hometown, finishing with 16 points on 4-of-14 shooting from 3-point range. He went 4 of 17 from beyond the arc on this court at the NBA All-Star game eight days ago.

After trailing by 17 during the fourth quarter, Charlotte clawed within seven with 3:24 left before Curry stole a pass and fed Thompson for a fast-break layup. Curry sank a 3-pointer with a minute left and raised his hands to show his relief.

Cody Zeller made 13 of 14 shots from the field and finished with a career-high 28 points to lead the Hornets, who have lost two straight. Zeller was largely the beneficiary of the Warriors putting added pressure on point guard Kemba Walker and not allowing him to shoot.

"The rest of us have to continue to make plays," Zeller said. "All of my buckets were right around the rim, a lot of easy buckets, but a lot of credit to Kemba and Nicolas (Batum) and those guys for making the unselfish play. It's on me to continue to score myself or find shooters in the corners."

TIP-INS

Warriors: Had eight dunks in the second quarter.

Hornets: Were 3 of 14 from 3-point range in the first half. ... Walker became the franchise's career leader in field goals made with 3,952, passing Dell Curry.

CURRY'S TOUR

About 100 players participated in the event at the new Curry Court, an indoor court that he helped renovate at a downtown recreation center.

Curry is hosting the same event at seven cities around the country.

BIG ON ASSISTS

The Warriors passing was outstanding at times and they finished with 35 assists.

"We did a good job of exploiting the mismatches and letting the offense work for us," Durant said.

UP NEXT

Warriors: Visit the Heat on Wednesday.

Hornets: Host the Rockets on Wednesday.

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Regular Season Series

GS leads series 1-0