Monta Ellis sparks Golden State Warriors to 109-100 win over the Nets
Oakland natives paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the contest, and their team responded by honouring the basketball by giving up a season-low six turnovers, as they downed the New Jersey Nets.
Monta Ellis was again in the thick of things for the resurgent Warriors. The ace sharp-shooter pounded 26 points and nine assists, while David Lee notched up his 15th double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds, as the Warriors
beat the Nets for the sixth consecutive time.
Stephen Curry, Dorrell Wright and Reggie Williams also featured in double figures as the Warriors won the second of their first three games, in a key stretch of the season, which features 13 of 14 games at home.
Although the Warriors are one of the most explosive offensive teams in the league, they have found it difficult to control the ball defensively all season long. On Monday night though, they put in a brilliant defensive effort, matching the Nets on the glass
and in points in the paint. To complement that, they fumbled the ball 10 times less than their opponents to hand them a clear 14-point advantage, which eventually proved to be the game-turning factor.
Their coach Keith Smart was impressed.
"If you take care of the ball you give yourself a chance to win," He said. "It compensates for some other things you don't have, maybe on the offensive glass. But if you are taking care of the basketball, you don't give them opportunities to run out in transition
to where you can't get back and defend."
For the Nets, centre Brook Lopez led the charge with 20 points; Devin Harris posted 19 points and eight assists while their latest recruit Sasha Vujacic came off the bench to score 16. Their endeavours though, were not enough to get their franchise out
of a dreaded tail-spin. The free falling Nets have now dropped six straight games, with an early-January two-point thriller against the Chicago Bulls, the only thing separating them from a 12-game losing streak.
"We just have to find something we can hang our hat on and really go after it. But we're still searching," Harris said after the game. "All these games were winnable for us at some point. We have to find a way to get over the top."
First Quarter
Golden State got off to a solid start in the match, in which they never trailed after the first two minutes. The red hot offence of the Warriors was off and running from the very start, as they maintained a decent cushion right throughout the first quarter.
The Nets however, finished the frame with a 10-5 run that pulled them level at 28 each.
Second Quarter
Dorrell Wright struck twice from the charity stripe as he handed the advantage back to the Warriors at the start of the second stanza. The Nets shooting took a big hit in the second quarter, as they shot only 6-for-18 from the field. A persistent spell of
cold shooting by the visitors ensured that the Warriors finished the half with a 54-46 lead. David Lee scored 14 first half points to lead the attack early while finished at 12.
Third Quarter
Entering the second half, the Warriors made further inroads into the Nets defence and led them by 11 early in the third quarter, before Lopez made two baskets during an 8-0 run. The Nets remained within striking distance for the rest of the quarter, with
Acie Law's two free throws in the dying seconds giving Golden State a 79-73 lead heading into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
Lee made a running jump shot to start the fourth quarter which stretched the lead to eight points, before Reggie Williams followed a jumper and then made a steal to set up a three-point play for Ellis. The scoring rush ensured that the Warriors led by 95-82
with seven and a half minutes to go.
The Nets still had some fight left in them though, as they reverberated with seven points on the trot.
However, Ellis slipped in a couple of lay-ups, and Curry hit a jumper to help build the lead back up to 10. The Nets however, refused to back off as they inched back to within five, before Stephen Curry hit a three-pointer with less than two minutes remaining
to finally put them away for good.
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