A 113-93 road loss to the previously winless Magic on Friday certainly looks bad for the Hornets. So it's easy to understand why the defending world champion Warriors are double-digit road favorites against Charlotte.

But beating the NBA is about going against the grain. The Hornets are a feisty, underrated group. Steve Clifford should have a motivated bunch here after Friday's embarrassment. It's just the Hornets' second home game of the season. Charlotte is capable of hanging in. The Hornets own blowout road victories against the Hawks and Spurs. They also nearly upset the Knicks on the road before losing in overtime. All three of those teams are above .500.

The Warriors just played games against the Suns and Heat. They play again Sunday against the Pistons. Steve Kerr is experimenting with his rotation. This game is more festive with Stephen Curry returning to Charlotte than it is intense for Golden State.

Here's an interesting quote from Kerr, ''We always have to have the big picture in mind and pace our guys through the regular season,'' he said.

Look for the Hornets to keep this one in the single-digit range.