Warriors guard Monta Ellis has a ride-on mower at his home in
Memphis, Tenn., that he likes to hop on, throw on headphones and
find some peace while cutting his grass. Ellis will be on that
mower soon enough, as the Warriors were officially eliminated from
the postseason Sunday. But his performance in Golden State’s
114-104 win over Washington suggests that Ellis hasn’t clocked out
early.
OAKLAND
Warriors guard Monta Ellis has a ride-on mower at his home in Memphis, Tenn., that he likes to hop on, throw on headphones and find some peace while cutting his grass.
Ellis will be on that mower soon enough, as the Warriors were officially eliminated from the postseason Sunday. But his performance in Golden State’s 114-104 win over Washington suggests that Ellis hasn’t clocked out early.
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Ellis played all 48 minutes against the Wizards, totaling 37 points on 14-for-24 shooting to go with a career-high tying 13 assists and seven rebounds.
“I don’t want to play him those kind of minutes,” coach Keith Smart said, “but I think he’s trying to set a tone for his team. I think he’s saying ‘I’m going to go out and compete at a high level until this thing is over.’ ”
It’s not uncommon for the Warriors, who will miss the playoffs for the 16th time in the last 17 years, to have a player or two check out. With the eight remaining games in the Warriors’ season but a formality, Ellis could certainly pick one of his nagging injuries — right wrist, left thigh, either ankle or knee — as a cause to put him on the shelf.
Or he could just stop going all-out on the court. At one point, it might’ve looked as if Ellis had checked out mentally.
During the recent four-game trip to Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, he was a shell of himself, never scoring more than 18 points in the four straight defeats. He averaged 12.8 points on 34.5 percent shooting. He totaled 17 rebounds, 15 assists and 12 turnovers in the four games.
Ellis was equally ineffective on defense. It appeared his offseason had started early.
“I had personal issues,” Ellis said. “But I dealt with them and moved on.”
In these last two homes games, Ellis’ play has rebounded. He had 27 points and 10 assists in 42 minutes during a 38-point wipeout of Toronto on Friday.
He was the epicenter of another aggressive showing by the Warriors over an inferior opponent Sunday. Ellis had 25 points in the first half, helping Golden State keep pace as Wizards center Javale McGee (28 points, 18 rebounds) dominated.
In the second half, Ellis got others involved. He had four assists in the third quarter, when the Warriors took over. All four went to David Lee, who scored 12 of his 33 points in the third quarter as the Warriors took a 90-84 lead into the fourth period.
Washington pulled within one, 94-93, midway through the fourth quarter, but Ellis led a 14-3 run to lock up the victory. He capped it by setting up a 3-pointer for Dorell Wright, then feeding Lee for a 20-footer, the latter putting Golden State up 108-96 with 3:22 left.
“I think this young man is committed to turning this franchise around,” Smart said of Ellis. “I really do.”
In the locker room, players speak of reaching 36 wins, which would be a 10-game improvement over last season. Golden State would need to go 4-4 to reach that goal. Four games are on the road against teams currently in the playoffs: Oklahoma City, Memphis, Portland and Denver. So are three of the four remaining home games, with Dallas, the Lakers and Portland due in. The other home game is a bout against rival Sacramento.
Reaching 36 would be a feat for the Warriors. It will take superior play from Ellis, which he seems poised to offer.
“It’s really just our job,” he said. “We’re pros. Our season is still not over with yet. We’ve got eight more games. Just go out there and see how many we can win to finish the season off strong.”
