PREVIEW: The Golden State Warriors (17-16) will visit the Charlotte Hornets (11-21) as the two teams open their season series against each other. The Warriors are eighth in the Western Conference following their most recent win over the Brooklyn Nets, and after posting a three-game losing skid, they've won four of their last five games. Steph Curry continues to have another career season as he ranks ninth in the NBA in scoring at 28.8 points per game. The Charlotte Hornets are 12th in the Eastern Conference and despite a 6-4 record over their last 10 games, they're still 10 games below .500. The Charlotte Hornets are coming into this matchup with a number of injuries to their starting rotation, as center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been unavailable, rookie Kon Knueppel is day-to-day with an injury, and veteran Miles Bridges is questionable with an ankle injury. The Warriors are certainly the healthier team, and while this game may be a close one through the first few quarters, the Warriors should eventually pull away late in the game with their superior bench depth. The Golden State Warriors have won their last five consecutive games against this Charlotte Hornets team. The matchup takes place Wednesday, December 31 at 1 p.m. ET at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.