On the cusp of their second-longest road trip of the season, the
Warriors are getting healthy and confident at the right time.
Golden State beat the Philadelphia 76ers 110-95 Monday night for
its third straight win, the team’s first three-game win streak
since April 2009.
OAKLAND
On the cusp of their second-longest road trip of the season, the Warriors are getting healthy and confident at the right time.
Golden State beat the Philadelphia 76ers 110-95 Monday night for its third straight win, the team’s first three-game win streak since April 2009.
Monta Ellis, who has been on a scoring rampage lately, was more of a facilitator Monday. He dished out 12 assists and still scored 22 as the Warriors left the Oracle crowd of 19,208 hopeful for more of the same when the team kicks off its five-game journey in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Ellis has at least seven assists in four straight games, the first such stretch of his career. It also marked his third double-double of the season and 17th of his career. He finished one assist short of tying his career high.
Stephen Curry showed no ill effects playing in his second game since missing six in a row with a sprained right ankle, although he got into early foul trouble and wasn’t much of a factor until late when the Warriors were polishing things off. Curry finished with 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Forward David Lee had 21 points and 16 rebounds, but most important is that he drained a handful of midrange jumpers, a sign that his injured left elbow is just about healed.
Dorell Wright led the Warriors with 28 points on an efficient 8-for-11 shooting from the floor, including 5 for 7 from 3-point range. He was 7 for 8 from the free throw line and pitched in with six rebounds and four assists.
The Warriors are still without starting center Andris Biedrins (ankle) and his backup, Dan Gadzuric (groin). Both are expected back soon, and the team is optimistic about what it can accomplish with all hands on deck.
The Warriors’ upcoming road trip takes them to Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando and New Orleans. It’s their second five-game trip of the season. The only stretch where the Warriors will be away from Oracle Arena longer comes on a seven-game road trip at the beginning of March.
The only bad news for the Warriors is how long it took them to finally dispatch the wounded 76ers, who were playing without starting forward Andre Iguodala (Achilles tendinitis), backup point guard Lou Williams and reserve forward Jason Kapono. The 76ers also were on the second night of a road back-to-back sequence.
The Warriors were once again beat up on the offensive glass, a troubling yet not surprising trend given the absence of their top two centers. Philadelphia brought down 18 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Warriors 54-44 overall. Elton Brand dominated the paint at times, finishing with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Golden State appeared as though it was going to put this one away early, racing out to a 16-4 lead after Curry’s 3-pointer at the 7:04 mark of the first quarter. But the 76ers put together an out-of-nowhere 28-9 run that culminated in a hook shot by center Spencer Hawes less than a minute into the second quarter to give Philadelphia a 32-25 advantage.
The Warriors eventually climbed back to take a lead they never relinquished, although the game was close until midway through the fourth quarter. Ellis fed Wright for a 3-pointer to tie it at 45-45 with 2:52 left before the half, and then Golden State took the lead when Lee went up in the air to retrieve Rodney Carney’s missed dunk to slam it home himself in transition.
Ellis got his first rest of the game to begin the fourth quarter and the Warriors ahead 76-71, and they actually forged the game-clinching run with him on the bench. Wright hit four free throws and Lee made two. Throw in a 3-pointer by Vladimir Radmanovic and Golden State led 87-75 with 8:10 remaining in the game.
— Story by Jonathan Okanes, Contra Costa Times
