Warriors romp to a third straight victory as they thump Philadelphia 110-95
Of late the Golden State Warriors have somehow found ways to win games with fourth-quarter rallies, and Monta Ellis has been a major reason for that.
On Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers though, it was not the brilliance of the newly crowned player of the week that stole the show. Rather, it was some prolific sharp-shooting
from the perimeter that led the Warriors to their third consecutive victory, a feat which they have achieved after a span of nearly two years. The Warriors went 15-of-23 from downtown to complement
their 47 percent shooting from the floor, and showcased some explosive offensive firepower to script a 110-95 win against their short-handed opponents.
The 76ers entered the Oracle Arena without ace forward Andre Iguodala, who failed to make it for the game due to recurring tendinitis in his right Achilles. The setback further
depleted an already thin Sixers bench, with Jason Kapono (calf muscle) and Guard Lou Williams (birth of his daughter) already on the sidelines. Dorrell Wright, who entered the night fourth in the NBA
with 67 three-pointers was in the zone again, as he knocked down five from downtown and used only 11 shots from the field to notch up a match high 28 points.
Wright said after the match, "I just found myself open a few times today and was just taking my shots with confidence, like
always. Guys were finding me. We were moving the ball so it just made it possible for me to get open shots." His efforts were backed up with 22 points and 12 assists from Monta Ellis, while David Lee
scored 21 points and had 16 rebounds.
Jrue Holiday led the 76ers with 23 points and 11 assists, while Elton Brand notched up his eighth double-double in his past 13 games and his 12th overall this season, as he posted
16 points and 17 rebounds. Jodie Meeks added 19 points for Philadelphia, as they lost their 19th game of the season.
First Quarter
The first quarter of play saw the teams engulfing in a see-saw battle, as they launched one spurt after another. The Warriors were the first to make the push, as they fed on the cold
shooting of the Sixers early on to sprint ahead to a 16-4 lead inside the first five minutes. The rest of the frame however belonged to the Sixers, as they launched a barrage of pinpoint shots to not
only reduce the deficit, but also surged past the home team with a 26-9 run.
Second Quarter
Staring at a five point deficit going into the second period, the Warriors took the fight to the Sixers. Mounting the offensive pressure, the Warriors slowly chipped away at the opposition’s
deficit and an Ellis' pull-up jump shot midway through the quarter made it a one-point game. Philadelphia though managed to pull away again with a 6-2 run, to restore a five point advantage.
Their surge was soon nipped though, as the Warriors hit three triple pointers to tie the match at 45, and then shot three more from long range to form part of a 10-4 run, which sparked
them to a 55-49 lead at the midway mark.
Third Quarter
The 76ers answered fire with fire in the second half, as they got back to level terms within the first four minutes of the third quarter. The match swung from end to end for most
of the remaining quarter, but the Warriors pushed on in the last two minutes, as they rattled off an 8-3 opening to lead at 76-71 heading into the final quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Golden State started the fourth quarter where they left off in the third, as they built on some sloppy play from the Sixers to ring up an 87-75 advantage early in the period. The
Warriors never looked back from there, as they not only kept the Sixers offence at bay, but also stepped up their defence to gradually increase their advantage. Monta Ellis performed the finishing rituals,
as he slipped in two charity throws to hand the Warriors a 110-95 win.
Ellis rounded up the night for the Warriors, as he said after the match, "We're just playing great basketball right now, team
basketball. Everybody's playing within their game and feeding into what coach wants us to do on the offensive and defensive end."
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