OAKLAND, Calif. – Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade had some advice for his good friend, Golden State Warriors forward Dorell Wright, who has struggled mightily on offense so far this season.
“He needs to shoot more,” Wade said. “Not against us, but against other teams.”
Wright listened to part of that advice. Tuesday against Miami, he took a season-high 15 shots. He scored eight points in overtime to lift the Warriors to a 111-106 upset of the Heat.
Golden State (3-6) snapped its five-game losing streak. The Warriors had lost two straight at Oracle Arena.
The losing streak was largely due to Golden State’s offensive struggles. Wright came into the game averaging 5.8 points on 32.7 percent shooting. He had missed 22 of his 27 attempts from 3-point range.
Tuesday, Wright knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points to go with nine rebounds.
Wright opened overtime with a 3-pointer. Minutes later, he scored five straight points, his break-away dunk putting the Warriors up 107-104 with 1:06 left.
Wade answered with a jumper. But guard Monta Ellis _ who finished with 22 points_put Golden State back up by three, 109-106 with a pull-up over Miami forward Shane Battier.
The Warriors, needing one more stop, forced Wade into a missed bank shot and a bricked 3-pointer by James. Guard Nate Robinson, who led the Warriors with 24 points off the bench, knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the victory. Robinson was 14-for-14 from the free throw line.
The Warriors can honestly say their defense kept them in the game. Wade finished with 34 points and six rebounds. James had 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Still, even with an overtime period, the Warriors still held Miami below its season average of 108.3 points per game. The game made it to overtime thanks to lock-down defense by the Warriors.
Golden State, which had trailed by as much as 17, held Miami to 12 points in 2-for-17 shooting in the fourth quarter.
This time, though, it was Robinson and not Ellis who provided the offense. Robinson scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.
His 3-pointer cut Miami’s lead to 93-90 with just over two minutes left. Ellis then blocked a lay-up by Udonis Haslem, which led to a layup by Robinson and a Miami timeout. During the timeout, Haslem picked up a technical foul. Robinson’s free throw tied the game at 93.
Golden State turned the ball over the next two possessions, and free throws put Miami ahead 96-93. But Wright knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game with 31.2 seconds left.
After a stop, Golden State had a chance to win it in the final seconds. But Ellis failed to get a shot off, sending the game into overtime.
Golden State got what general manager Larry Riley called encouraging news regarding point guard Stephen Curry’s sprained right ankle.
Riley said Curry won’t need another surgery on the ankle he’s sprained three times this season. He won’t have to sit out an elongated period of time. He could return as soon as next week.
“Now the question (everyone) is going to ask is the question I’d like to know _ when,” Warriors general manager Larry Riley said. “I don’t know how long this thing is going to go. The biggest issue is the stability and the strength that is required for him to get on the floor again.”
Including Tuesday’s game against the Heat, Curry has now missed three games. A source with knowledge of the situation said Curry is “probably a week away” from returning, which would put him back for the road game at Cleveland on Jan. 17. However, the source said not to rule out Sunday’s game at Detroit.
Curry is rehabilitating his ankle in his hometown, Charlotte, N.C., where the surgery was performed. He will rejoin the team when the Warriors travel to Charlotte on Friday. But Curry making his return then is unlikely.
Before Curry can play, Riley said he has to pass a “functionality test.”
He was evaluated on Saturday by team orthopedist Tim McAdams. He then flew to Charlotte and was examined Monday by OrthoCarolina’s Bob Anderson, who performed Curry’s surgery back in May.
“The ligament that was prepared has held and is effective,” Riley said. “There’s no problem there. There is another ligament that has become the culprit.”
Curry sprained his right ankle on Jan. 4 at San Antonio. It was his third time this season spraining that same ankle, which underwent offseason surgery in May. If Curry does come back Tuesday at Cleveland, Curry will have missed six games giving him 11 days of recovery.
“We’re probably going to end up giving him more time than we have in the past,” Riley said.
Warriors center Andris Biedrins missed his third straight game with a sprained right ankle. Biedrins sprained his ankle last Wednesday at San Antonio. He did return to that game but hasn’t played since.
“He’s still getting treatment but he tried and still had a little pain, so we’re going to stay on top of that.”
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison made his second-ever appearance at a Warriors game. His last time at Oracle Arena was on Jan. 11, 2009 when the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers was in town.
Oddly enough, Ellison’s courtside seat was 11 seats away from Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, who outbid Ellison for the Warriors back in July 2010.
