The AP reports: Mehmet Okur scored 23 points, Deron Williams had a season-high 20 assists and the Utah Jazz won their eighth straight, beating the voluntarily short-handed Golden State Warriors 112-104 Sunday night. Ronnie Brewer scored 21 points one night after getting a career-high 26 for the Jazz, who moved within two games of Northwest Division-leading Denver… Corey Maggette scored 27 points and rookie Anthony Randolph had a career-high 20 for the Warriors, who rested leading scorer Stephen Jackson as part of coach Don Nelson’s unorthodox plan to give more playing time to his youngsters… Jamal Crawford, who wasn’t allowed to play in Golden State’s loss to Charlotte two nights earlier, scored 20 points in the Warriors’ fourth loss in five games.
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Felton scores 26, Bobcats beat Warriors 112-109
The AP reports: Raymond Felton had 26 points and nine assists, and Emeka Okafor added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte (23-36), which won for just the fourth time in its last 13 games… Stephen Jackson had 33 points and eight assists for Golden State (20-38), but couldn’t help thinking about the pass that got away from him at the end while trying to inbound the ball to Kelenna Azubuike following Diaw’s go-ahead 3-pointer… Gerald Wallace finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte, which snapped a four-game road losing streak to the Warriors. Andris Biedrins had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Golden State, which trailed by six points at halftime but opened the third quarter with a 16-5 run to take the lead. Biedrins had nine of his points during the spurt then later added a dunk to make it 73-68.
Clippers beat Warriors 118-105
The AP reports: Eric Gordon had trouble finding his shot in the first half, so the rookie talked himself out of repeating those woes the rest of the game. Zach Randolph had 27 points and 11 rebounds, Gordon also had 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Golden State Warriors 118-105 on Monday night. Gordon had a career-high six 3-pointers and has scored 21-plus points in each of his last five games for the Clippers, who beat the Warriors for the first time since Nov. 2, 2007… Baron Davis, a former Warrior, added 25 points and 10 assists for the Clippers, who were without starter Al Thornton, missing his second game of the season with a right foot injury… Stephen Jackson had 28 points and C.J. Watson added 16 for the Warriors.
Monta Ellis out 1-2 weeks
The San Francisco Chronicle (Janny Hu) reports (via blog): There have been warning signs and flare-ups here and there. And now this announcement from the Warriors: “Guard Monta Ellis, who has experienced occasional stiffness in his left ankle since returning to action on January 23, including during last night’s game against Oklahoma City, will be sidelined the next 1-2 weeks.
Don Nelson 1,300th win, Warriors beat Thunder 133-120
The AP reports: Golden State coach Don Nelson earned his 1,300th victory Saturday night, with Stephen Jackson scoring 26 points and Corey Maggette adding 25 in the Warriors’ 133-120 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nelson is just the second coach in NBA history to reach the milestone, joining good friend Lenny Wilkens, who has 1,332 career wins… Kevin Durant scored 32 points for the Thunder, who have lost five straight. Russell Westbrook added 31 points and 11 assists, but Oklahoma City dropped to 3-24 on the road. Jeff Green had 27 points and 15 rebounds for Oklahoma City, but the second-year forward combined with Durant for 12 of the Thunder’s 23 turnovers.
Lakers score 39 in 4th quarter, beat Warriors 129-121
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 30 points, Pau Gasol added 24 points and 13 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers roared from behind in the final 5 minutes for their 13th victory in 15 games, 129-121 over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
InsideHoops.com notes: The Lakers had 33 free throw attempts, hitting 28, while the Warriors had 19 attempts, connecting on 17. As a team the Lakers had a slight edge in rebounds and assists.
For the Warriors, Corey Maggette, coming off the bench as usual, shot 10-of-16 for 24 points and 4 assists. Stephen Jackson scored 24 but on just 10-of-24 shooting. He also had 6 assists, 9 assists and 2 blocks, but 6 turnovers. Jamal Crawford scored 23 and only needed 10 shots to do it. Monta Ellis had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. A nice story for the Warriors is Anthony Randolph, who started at power forward and shot 7-of-13 for 14 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks.
NBA to borrow $175 million
The Sports Business Journal (Daniel Kaplan and John Lombardo) reports: The NBA is set to borrow $175 million Feb. 26, marking one of the first league financings since the implosion of the credit markets last fall. The money, which will be available to 15 teams, supplements an existing $1.7 billion leaguewide credit facility that uses the NBA’s media contracts as collateral to secure loans for the clubs. The NBA surveyed its teams, and 15 responded they would like to tap into the new borrowing. While the league said it is pleased to borrow in an extremely illiquid credit market, the deal came at a cost, with interest rates up to 8.27 percent, hammering home the notion that the era of cheap money in sports is over. The 15 teams can use the money for any purpose, but covering operating losses may be high on the list.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Loan me three fiddy. I want some ribs.
Maggette scores 24, Warriors beat Blazers 105-98
The AP reports: Ronny Turiaf recorded his first double-double in nearly two years with 14 points and 11 rebounds while helping lead the Warriors to a 105-98 win over Portland on Thursday… Corey Maggette had 24 points while Jackson and Monta Ellis added 20 points apiece for Golden State, which extended its season-high win streak to three games. The Warriors also beat Portland at home for the eighth straight time… Brandon Roy scored 37 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 for the Blazers, who have not won at Golden State since Nov. 3, 2004.
Stephen Jackson on a roll
The Bay Area News Group (Marcus Thompson II) reports: Stephen Jackson has considered himself a premier player, and now he is playing like one. His numbers have been flat-out ridiculous recently, more like those of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. In February, Jackson is averaging 28.4 points, 9.0 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. During that five-game span, he has tallied at least 30 points and 10 assists three times — against San Antonio, Phoenix and New York. The last NBA player to get 30 and 10 three times over a five-game stretch was James in 2007. The last Warrior? Tim Hardaway in 1992. “Honestly, he’s playing as well as any small forward in the league,” Warriors guard Jamal Crawford said.
Warriors rout defenseless Knicks 144-127
The AP reports: Stephen Jackson had a season-high 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, and Jamal Crawford added 21 points against his former team in the Golden State Warriors’ third straight home victory, 144-127 over the defenseless Newe York Knicks on Tuesday night. Kelenna Azubuike had 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Warriors obliterated their previous season-high for points with almost no defensive opposition from the Knicks, who lost their fifth straight—and lost three players to injuries as well. Al Harrington had 24 points and nine rebounds amid constant boos from the Oakland fans who embraced him just two years ago… David Lee had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Nate Robinson scored 30 points for the Knicks, whose defensive inadequacies were made even worse by a rash of injuries.