Warriors face Hornets without Curry

The Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry when they attempt to go 5-0 on their current trip at the expense of the host Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.

Curry sprained his right ankle in the closing stages of Monday's 125-115 win at New Orleans, the Warriors fourth straight triumph to being their longest trip of the season, a six-gamer.

X-rays and an MRI on the injury came back negative, but the Warriors announced Tuesday that Curry would be out at least two weeks, at which point he would be re-evaluated.

"Obviously a sucky situation," Curry said after Monday's game. "But I'll be back."

One of the disappointing aspects about Curry's absence was that the Charlotte native had been looking forward to his annual homecoming game.

He has had two 40-point nights among his seven previous returns, with the Warriors winning five of those games.

Curry has missed two games this season, including a 110-106 home loss to Sacramento last Monday with a bruised thigh. Patrick McCaw started for Curry on that occasion and scored a season-best 16 points.

McCaw, however, took a shot to the nose in the New Orleans game and couldn't continue because it was bleeding. The Warriors are labeling the injury a bruise and McCaw is likely to be available for the Charlotte game.

The second-year player figures to have his hands full with Hornets point guard Kemba Walker, who returned from a two-game absence due to a strained shoulder to pour in 29 points in a 104-94 home win over Orlando on Monday night.

The Hornets had lost four in a row before that win.

Walker has been one of the hottest things going in the NBA in recent weeks, having scored 14 of more points in 10 straight games, with 20 or more points on seven of those occasions. He exploded for a season-best 47 during the stretch at Chicago.

"I feel like when I'm not around, things are different, and when I come back it changes," he said after Monday's win. "That's the kind of guy I am. I'm the leader of this team and my team goes as I go."

The 29 points against the Magic represented Walker's 200th game with 20 or more points as a member of the Hornets. He became the first in franchise history to achieve that feat.

Both teams were involved in ugly incidents in their wins Monday.

The Hornets' Cody Zeller was pushed to the ground by Orlando's Marreese Speights, a former Warriors player, resulting in a technical foul.

Speights was one of several Magic players upset at a 40-14 free throw discrepancy in the game.

Meanwhile, the Warriors' Kevin Durant received two technical fouls and was ejected in Golden State's win at New Orleans. Players had to separate Durant and Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins, who also was thrown out because of two technicals.

Durant has been ejected twice in the last three games of the Warriors' trip. He leads the league with three ejections.

In a series that's tied 27-27, the Warriors have beaten the Hornets six straight, including three in a row at Charlotte.