Monta Ellis stars as Golden State Warriors edge out Atlanta Hawks 85 – 82 – NBA Recap
The Golden State Warriors surprised a few observers on Wednesday with a gritty display to edge out the Atlanta Hawks at the Philips Arena. The Warriors did a good job throughout the game and even though the end was mightily close, they were able to hold
on for the 85 – 82 win.
Golden State lost Stephen Curry but Monta Ellis took over his responsibilities as point guard in the game and performed at a very high level. Ellis, who is one of the best pure scorers in the game showed that he can distribute as well; garnering 8 assists
to go along with his game high 24 points.
David Lee registered a double-double for the Warriors at 22 points and 12 rebounds while Dominic McGuire, playing in the unfamiliar role of a shooting guard, hauled down 15 boards.
The Hawks were led by shooting guard Joe Johnson, who scored team high 18 points, while his running mate in the backcourt, Jeff Teague, scored 15. Three players recorded double-doubles for Atlanta; Marvin Williams, Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia, who finished
with 13 points and 16 boards.
The home side were in the ascendency early on and Atlanta looked strong after a 10 – 2 run from jump ball. The Warriors though came back well and were leading right at the end before the Hawks nailed one to go up 21 – 20.
The Warriors however did some major damage in the 2nd quarter. They had an early 10 – 0 burst to go ahead 30 – 23. Atlanta tried desperately to catch up but another 8 – 0 spurt put Golden State clear at 46 – 33 and they went into halftime up by
double-digits, 48 – 38.
It was the home team’s turn to surge after the interval and they produced a spirited display in the third segment, outscoring the Warriors 23 – 16. At the end of the frame they were thus in with a shout, trailing 64 – 61.
An enthralling final 12 minutes followed with the Hawks breathing down Golden State’s neck throughout. The scores were very close right till the end but the Warriors held their nerves to end up victors at 85 – 82.
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