"What a performance by Jamal," coach Don Nelson said. "We just ran stuff for him as he produced most of the time. He had the ball in his hands a lot and he just got hot. He's an amazing scorer when he heats up."

Crawford became the fourth player in NBA history to score 50 points or more for three teams, having also done it for the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. The other three were Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers), Bernard King (Warriors, Knicks and Washington Bullets) and Moses Malone (Houston Rockets, 76ers and Bullets).

This 50-point performance by Crawford, the third of his career, perhaps didn't have the electricity of the last one which was in Madison Square Garden came against Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat, and featured a streak of 16 consecutive made baskets by him. But it was perhaps the most timely scoring feats of his career as it helped snap a five-game losing streak and gave Golden State a tangible reward for its improved play of late.

He made sure the Warriors weren't going to give away a victory by collapsing down the stretch, as they did in Indiana and Atlanta. Crawford scored the team's final 15 points, the two most crucial being a pull-up jumper with 2:52 left that put the Warriors up 102-91, then a 17-footer at the 2:03 mark, giving the Warriors a 104-95 lead. He then nailed six free throws to seal the game.

"The win was huge," Crawford said. "Lately in the fourth quarter, we have been giving games away. We're a young team that plays really hard and I think we're going to continue to get better."

Crawford was due for a big night. Over the last five games, he had been hot one night and cold the next. He totaled four points on 1-for-7 shooting against Houston on Dec. 12, then had 25 points on 19 shots at Denver the next night. He struggled shooting (6-for-17) en route to 16 points against Orlando on Monday before dropping 29 at Indiana on Wednesday.

Friday was one of his worst performances of the season: 3-for-15, six points, three turnovers. He said he couldn't sleep that night, too upset with his performance.

Unlike in the previous games, Crawford attacked the basket Saturday. Of his 16 points in the second quarter which is when he said he realized he was in a zone nine came from the free-throw line.

"I think that (penetration) ignited everything," said Crawford, who also had five assists and one turnover. "Because usually, I feel like I can get any shot I want and I let people off the hook by settling for jump shots."

Perhaps as impressive was that the opposing point guard, Raymond Felton, had a rough night. Crawford's 50 looks much better next to Felton's 14 points on 6-for-19 shooting.

The Warriors' defense as a whole, according to several players, showed signs of improvement thanks to the new "defensive coordinator" role given to assistant coach Keith Smart. Charlotte shot 46.9 percent, including 11 of 18 from 3-point range. Still, the Warriors' defense kept the Bobcats at arm's length.

Golden State prevented the big quarter (Charlotte's 29-point first quarter was its highest of the night), marking the first time an opponent failed to score 30 in a quarter since Nov. 3 at Memphis. The Warriors also forced 18 turnovers and held their opponent under 40 rebounds for the first time since Nov. 21 versus Chicago.

Of course, none of that will be on You Tube.

"We just played hard," forward Brandan Wright said. "We executed well. We did well on the defensive end. Of course, we had a big game from Jamal."

Contact Marcus Thompson II at mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com.Warriors 110, Bobcats 103next game: Monday, at Magic, 4 p.m.