The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki was back, scoring 18 points in his unexpected start Wednesday night, and the Mavericks posted a 111-86 victory over the Golden State Warriors that could have big implications in a tight Western Conference playoff race… “There was already a sense of urgency. … And then seeing Dirk out there, it was very inspiring,” said Jason Terry, who matched a season-high with 31 points… Stephen Jackson had only two points on 1-of-11 shooting, and Al Harrington was 1-of-9 with six points. Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 27 points, while Baron Davis had 20… Josh Howard added 28 points for the Mavericks, while Kidd had a season-high 17 assists with 11 rebounds and five points.
Category: Golden State Warriors Blog
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Apr. 1: Spurs 116, Warriors 92
The AP reports: The San Antonio Spurs’ Big Three had a good night and two of the Golden State Warriors’ top three scorers had a bad one… Tony Parker led San Antonio with 26 points for a 116-92 victory Tuesday, with Tim Duncan adding 17 points and 12 rebounds and Manu Ginobili scoring 16… Baron Davis led the Warriors with 19 points in a game the Spurs controlled most of the way. Monta Ellis added 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting and had five turnovers for the Warriors. Stephen Jackson was just 2-of-12 from the field for six points, well below his 20-plus scoring average… C.J. Watson added 13 points for Golden State. Michael Finley scored 13 for San Antonio and Bruce Bowen 12. Fabricio Oberto grabbed 10 boards for the Spurs.
J-Rich and Melo win Player of Week
The Charlotte Bobcats’ Jason Richardson and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 24, through Sunday, March 30. More info here.
J-Rich is playing well but it’s too little, too late for the Bobcats, who need a miracle to make the playoffs and may be having issues with head coach Sam Vincent, who several newspapers recently reported may not be kept around next season.
As for Melo, all recent talk was that they might miss the playoffs, as they were sitting in 9th place in the West for a while, but as of today they’ve jumped up to 7th, but only by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Mavericks and Warriors. I think Denver may stay in there.
Anyway, the Western conference playoff race is awesome. Even if you’re a fan of an East squad, watch the West closely, because that’s where it’s at.
Mar. 30: Warriors 114, Mavs 104
The AP reports: Monta Ellis scored 30 points and Kelenna Azubuike hit two clutch shots down the stretch to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-104 Sunday night to create a three-way tie for seventh place in the ultracompetitive Western Conference… Baron Davis added 21 points, Stephen Jackson had 16 and Andris Biedrins had 16 points and 14 rebounds. Azubuike scored 15 off the bench a day after Davis and Jackson called for more help from the reserves. Josh Howard scored 36 to lead Dallas in his third straight 30-point game since Nowitzki went down with the injury. Brandon Bass added 21 off the bench, while Kidd had 13 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.
Mar. 29: Nuggets 119, Warriors 112
The AP reports: Allen Iverson’s 4-for-20 performance hardly mattered thanks to Kenyon Martin, who scored a season-high 30 points, leading the Denver Nuggets past the Warriors in the wild, wild Western Conference playoff race with a 119-112 win Saturday night… So did Carmelo Anthony, who hit 11-of-16 shots for 25 points, and a trio of reserves whose third-quarter play keyed the victory: J.R. Smith (20 points, seven assists), Eduardo Najera (11 points, 7 rebounds) and Linas Kleiza (8 points)… Martin’s biggest bucket was a buzzer beater from the left corner that made it 115-110 with 1:11 remaining, and Baron Davis, who led the Warriors with 28 points, misfired twice on 3-pointers in the final minute. Stephen Jackson added 25 points for Golden State, Monta Ellis had 22 and Andris Biedrins 17 points and 17 rebounds.
Mar. 27: Warriors 111, Blazers 95
The AP reports: Stephen Jackson scored 14 of his 24 points in the third quarter and the Golden State Warriors bolstered their playoff position against the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers in a 111-95 victory Thursday night. The Warriors caught a lucky break when Portland All-Star guard Brandon Roy stayed home to nurse a sore groin… Golden State broke open a close game with a dominant third quarter, where its aggressiveness on offense paid off with 20 free throw attempts in the quarter… InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: For Golden State, Jackson shot just 8-of-20 for his 24. Monta Ellis had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Kelenna Azubuike scored 14, Baron Davis had 12, 7 assists and 4 steals, and Al Harrington shot 5-of-5 for 10 points. For Portland, Steve Blake shot 8-of-12 for 22 points and 6 assists. Jarrett Jack had 19, LaMarcus Aldridge 17 with just 5 rebounds but 6 assists, and Martell Webster needed 14 shots for his 14 points.
Mar. 24: Lakers 135, Warriors 127
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 23 of his 30 points after halftime while playing with a gash under his left eye, and Lamar Odom had 23 points and 21 rebounds as the Lakers reclaimed the Western Conference’s top spot and avenged Sunday night’s 115-111 defeat… Los Angeles couldn’t have done it without Sasha Vujacic, who scored 19 points and hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left in overtime… “It’s unfortunate, in a situation like that, that we didn’t get an opportunity to get a shot up,” said Baron Davis, who had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists… Monta Ellis had 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Warriors, who have lost four of seven in a critical stretch for their playoff hopes. Stephen Jackson added 29 points, but Golden State’s lead over Denver for the conference’s final playoff berth dwindled to a half-game.
Warriors notes
Since starting the season 0-6, the Warriors have gone 42-19 (.697), which is the fourth-highest winning percentage in the NBA since that point (Boston .787, Detroit . 710, L.A. Lakers .705).
Since their 0-6 start, the Warriors have lost two games in a row just one other time this season.
Golden State leads the NBA in scoring, averaging 110.9 points per contest…The Warriors have scored 100-or-more points in 31 straight games.
The Warriors also lead the NBA in fastbreak points (22.1), points in the paint (47.6) and points off opponents turnovers (20.3).
In 58 games played together this season, Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis are averaging a combined 61.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 15.1 assists and 5.03 steals per game, with the team going 40-18 in those 58 games.
Baron Davis and Monta Ellis rocking
A positive-leaning glance at the Golden State Warriors lately:
Since starting the season 0-6, the Warriors have gone 40-17 (.702), which is the fourth-highest winning percentage in the NBA since that point (Boston .789, Detroit . 707, L.A. Lakers .707).
Golden State’s 40-23 mark through 63 games marks the team’s third-quickest trip to 40 wins since the team moved West in 1962.
Golden State currently leads the NBA in scoring at 110.9 points per game…The Warriors have scored 100-or-more points in 27 straight games, including 115-or-more in 14 of those contests and 120-or-more in six of those games.
The Warriors went 3-1 on their four-game road trip last week, improving their road record to 18-13 on the season – which marks the team’s most road wins since going 21-20 away from home in 1993-94.
Golden State has won seven of its last eight games and 20 of the last 27 overall.
BARON DAVIS:
* Scored 30-or-more points in three of Golden State’s four road contests last week.
* Capped Warriors 117-106 victory Wednesday vs. Toronto by registering 10 points and six assists in the decisive fourth quarter.
* Overall against the Raptors, tallied 23 points and 15 assists, while committing just one turnover in 40 minutes.
* For the season, is averaging 22.0 points (11th in NBA), 8.0 assists (7th in NBA), 4.6 rebounds, 2.40 steals (2nd in NBA) and 39.3 minutes (6th in NBA), having started all 63 games.
MONTA ELLIS:
* In his last 21 games, is averaging 24.8 points on 59.3% (201-339 FG) shooting, along with 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.45 steals in 41.1 minutes.
* Has shot over 50.0% in 18 of his last 21 games, having attempted at least 10 field goals in all 21 of those games.
* Additionally, has shot over 60.0% in nine of those 21 games and over 70.0% six times.
* Has scored 30-or-more points nine times this season, including two of the last four contests.
Warriors recall Kosta Perovic and assign Patrick O’Bryant to D-League
The Golden State Warriors have recalled rookie center Kosta Perović from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League and assigned second-year center Patrick O’Bryant to the Jam, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today.
Perović, 23, returns from his second assignment to the D-League this season, the latest of which began on March 3. During his latest stint with the Jam, the 7-2 center played in two games, averaging 13.5 points and 18.5 rebounds in 35.0 minutes per contest – having tallied 16 points and 18 rebounds against Anaheim on March 7, as well as 11 points and 19 rebounds against Iowa on March 9. In 21 games overall this season with the Jam, Perović has averaged 9.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per contest.
O’Bryant, 21, is being assigned to the Jam for the first time this season. He has appeared in 22 games for Golden State this season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 4.3 minutes per contest. The 7-0 center appeared in 25 games for the Jam during his rookie season in 2006-07, averaging 12.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.88 blocks in 29.6 minutes per contest.
Perović and O’Bryant are the only two Warriors player to be assigned to the D-League since the current affiliation system began during the 2005-06 season. Under the system, NBA teams can assign up to two players who are rookies or in their second season to their D-League affiliate. Players can stay with the D-League team for as long as the team wishes, and be recalled back to the NBA at any time. However, a player can only be sent to the D-League a maximum of three times during the season.