Warriors (2-2) at Suns (1-3), 1:30 tip-off

C: Andris Biedrins … Marcin Gortat

PF: David Lee … Channing Frye

SF: Dorell Wright … Grant Hill

SG: Monta Ellis … Jared Dudley

PG: Stephen Curry … Steve Nash

Key Warrriors subs: Brandon Rush, Ekpe Udoh, Ishamel Smith, Dominic McGuire, Kwame Brown, Klay Thompson.

Snacking on some Orange Slices before an early tip-off:

* Monta Ellis, averaging 21.0 points and 7.7 assists in two wins and a loss, missed Golden State’s Wednesday night loss to Philadelphia for his grandmother’s funeral in Mississippi but the Contra Costa Times’ Marcus Thompson reported this morning that Ellis has rejoined the team and will play today. Grant Hill fared well against Ellis defensively last season, including Ellis’ eight-point outing in the teams’ final meeting.

* The Warriors have lost 12 consecutive games at US Airways Center, dating back to March 2005. Golden State was 10-31 on the road last season. This is the Warriors’ first road game of the season after opening with a four-game homestand that included wins against Chicago and New York. Golden State only has won 26 road games over the last three seasons combined.

* The Suns have won six consecutive games overall against Golden State.

* The Suns rank 24th in the NBA in scoring, 24th in field goal percentage and 27th in 3-point percentage. The very thing that was supposed to give the Suns a fighting chance at the playoffs despite little roster improvement was the continuity of the team.

“Yeah, it doesn’t look that way, does it?” said Steve Nash, whose shot has been ailing due to a rib bruise.

The Suns’ offense always has operated off rhythm and perhaps they never established that without spending the time they do playing together on their own each September before training camp started. The Suns clearly are getting good shots. In the last home game, they charted that they took 11 “Grade-A” shots in the first quarter and made two.

“It’s not about anything another team does,” Frye said. “It’s about us. We’ve got to jump up and make shots and whether we’re going to stick to our defensive principles?”

* How did the Suns defense go from giving up 29.8 percent shooting, the third lowest opponent mark in franchise history, against New Orleans on Friday night to yielding 53.2 percent shooting to Oklahoma City on Saturday night? For one, the Hornets don’t have much for scoring threats without Eric Gordon and the Thunder is playing like the best team in the West. But the Suns were a different defensive team internally Saturday night against the Thunder.

“We didn’t stay within what we’re supposed to do,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “We tried to make up too much as we went along. When we do that, we can’t have any continuity because nobody knows what the next guy is doing.”

* The Suns’ best 3-point shooter this season is a rookie who looked throughout training camp like maybe he should hold off on adding it to his repertoire. But Gentry kept encouraging Markieff Morris to shoot and the Suns have another stretch power forward to show for it.

Morris is 5 for 9 on 3s after going 3 for 4 in the Saturday loss. That included a fourth-quarter bank shot.

“I actually tried to shoot it off the backboard,” Morris said. “I called bank. I don’t know if you heard me.”

Morris also has the team’s third best rebounding rate (18 rebounds in 68 minutes) behind Gortat and Frye.

* Frye is not the only notorious proficient 3-point shooter who has opened the season on a cold streak. Wright sank 194 3s last season in his first year with Golden State but is 3 for 17 (17.6 percent) in the first four games this season. Like Phoenix, Golden State has struggled from 3-point range as a team (27.5 percent).

* The Suns and Warriors both emphasized a defensive culture change with offseason coaching hires — lead assistant Elston Turner for Phoenix and new head coach Mark Jackson for Golden State. It would have made for a nice turnaround with the teams if their offenses had not become polar-opposites of their past. Golden State (89.0) and Phoenix (89.3) rank as the sixth and seventh lowest scoring offenses in the league.

* Michael Redd is joining the Suns today to begin working out with the team. He likely is at least a week away from playing.

Post your comments on the game below:

OAKLAND — Monta Ellis shook off a terrible first half to finish with 22 points and eight assists, Brandon Rush added 19 points off the bench and the Golden State Warriors beat the New York Knicks 92-78 on Wednesday night.

Playing without injured guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors led by as much as 19 before cruising to their second straight impressive win over an Eastern Conference team. Two nights earlier Golden State (2-1) beat the Chicago Bulls 99-91.

Ish Smith had 11 points, four assists and six rebounds while starting in place of Curry, who sat out the game after injuring his surgically repaired ankle against Chicago.

Amare Stoudemire finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for New York while Carmelo Anthony had 13 points.

Ellis went just 4 of 15 in the first half but scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, midway through the fourth quarter when Golden State pulled away.

The Warriors did it once again behind their defense, which stymied Stoudemire and Anthony most of the night. The two combined to go just 8 of 27 and were only 13 for 19 on free throws.

No one else could pick up the scoring slack for the Knicks, who were also outrebounded 47-31 by the smaller but quicker Warriors.

Landry Fields had 13 of his 14 points in the first half. Bill Walker also scored 14 for the Knicks, who failed in their bid to start the season with consecutive victories for the first time since 1999.

Former Knick David Lee scored 13 points for Golden State (2-1).

This was the first stop on a three-game trip to the West Coast for New York.

The Knicks, who beat the Celtics on Christmas Day to kick off the truncated NBA schedule after losing all eight games to Boston in 2010, play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday. They return to Northern California to face the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

The Warriors played without Curry, who landed awkwardly on his surgically repaired right ankle in the fourth quarter of Monday’s win over Chicago.

It was the second time in seven days that Curry injured the ankle. He also missed eight games last season because of lingering ankle problems.

“It was the best thing to give it some time to heal,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson said before the game. “Bottom line is he got hurt landing on somebody and we are going to give it some time to heal.”

Smith started in place of Curry and scored seven of Golden State’s first 10 points. He finished 5 of 13 from the floor.

Anthony and Stoudemire couldn’t get much of anything to fall. The duo repeatedly settled for long jumpers, a trend that continued deep into the fourth quarter.

Even with their two stars off to a slow start, the Knicks took a 43-37 lead into the half.

Golden State closed the gap with a 15-5 run early in the second half, tied the game at 64 when Rush made a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter, then took control with 20-6 burst in the fourth.

The Warriors opened a 19-point lead with 4:09 left when the Knicks frustrations began to show. Tyson Chandler tossed Lee to the ground and was whistled for a technical foul, bringing the sold-out crowd at Oracle Arena to its feet.

Notes: The Warriors have agreed to terms with 7-foot-1 free agent center Kyrylo Fesenko on a one-year contract pending Fesenko passing a physical. Fesenko, who spent the past four seasons mostly as a backup with the Utah Jazz, was in Golden State’s locker room before the game but neither nor the Warriors can talk about the deal until it is complete. … The Warriors have sold out the first three games on this four-game homestand. … Former Golden State guard Jeremy Lin, who signed with the Knicks on Tuesday, entered the game late in the fourth quarter and missed his only shot attempt.

OAKLAND, Calif. —
Warriors 92, Knicks 78

Mark Jackson didn’t see much significance in coaching Golden State to a win against his former team.

It was the way the Warriors beat the New York Knicks that meant the most to Jackson — doing it with a defensive focus that hasn’t been seen from this franchise on a consistent basis in more than a decade.

Then again, that’s been Jackson’s message to his players ever since he was hired in June.

“This is going to be strange to hear: We’re a defensive team,” Jackson said following Golden State’s 92-78 victory Wednesday night. “It’s a shocker. Great players are going to come in and have great nights, but our job is make it tough. We had a bad first half offensively, but the defense gave us a chance to win a ballgame.”

Golden State definitely made it tough on New York’s All-Star duo of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, who combined to go just 8 of 27 from the floor after teaming for 58 points in the Knicks’ Christmas Day win over the Boston Celtics.

Stoudemire finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Anthony had 13 points.

“The whole game our offense was awful,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We weren’t in synch, we didn’t make shots, we turned the ball over and we gave them layups. Whatever kind of mistakes you can make, we made. It was awful.”

Monta Ellis shook off a terrible first half to finish with 22 points and eight assists, while Brandon Rush added 19 points off the bench for Golden State (2-1).

Playing without injured guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors led by as much as 19 before cruising to their second straight impressive win over an Eastern Conference team. Two nights earlier they beat the Chicago Bulls 99-91.

Ish Smith had 11 points, four assists and six rebounds while starting in place of Curry, who sat out the game after injuring his surgically repaired ankle against Chicago.

Ellis went just 4 of 15 in the first half but scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, midway through the fourth quarter when Golden State pulled away.

But it was the Warriors’ defense that made the biggest difference — a refreshing change considering the team’s recent history of shunning that part of the game.

“That’s our focus, defense,” Ellis said. “Just going out there getting the job done. That’s what’s keeping us in the game against great teams like this. Our defense kept us in the game and the offense won the game for us.”

No one else could pick up the scoring slack for the Knicks, who were also outrebounded 47-31 by the smaller but quicker Warriors.

Landry Fields had 13 of his 14 points in the first half. Bill Walker also scored 14 for the Knicks, who failed in their bid to start the season with consecutive victories for the first time since 1999.

Former Knick David Lee scored 13 points for Golden State (2-1).

This was the first stop on a three-game trip to the West Coast for New York.

The Knicks, who beat the Celtics on Christmas Day to kick off the truncated NBA schedule after losing all eight games to Boston in 2010, play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday. They return to Northern California to face the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

The Warriors played without Curry, who landed awkwardly on his surgically repaired right ankle in the fourth quarter of Monday’s win over Chicago.

It was the second time in seven days that Curry injured the ankle. He also missed eight games last season because of lingering ankle problems.

“It was the best thing to give it some time to heal,” Jackson said before the game. “Bottom line is he got hurt landing on somebody and we are going to give it some time to heal.” Smith started in place of Curry and scored seven of Golden State’s first 10 points. He finished 5 of 13 from the floor.

Anthony and Stoudemire couldn’t get much of anything to fall. The duo repeatedly settled for long jumpers, a trend that continued deep into the fourth quarter.

Even with their two stars off to a slow start, the Knicks took a 43-37 lead into the half.

Golden State closed the gap with a 15-5 run early in the second half, tied the game at 64 when Rush made a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter, then took control with 20-6 burst in the fourth.

The Warriors opened a 19-point lead with 4:09 left when the Knicks frustrations began to show. Tyson Chandler tossed Lee to the ground and was whistled for a technical foul, bringing the sold-out crowd at Oracle Arena to its feet.

“I’m not making any excuses, but we’re a young team that’s coming together and we have to build,” said Chandler, who was held to two points and three rebounds. “Unfortunately, we’re learning things on the fly.”

Notes: The Warriors have agreed to terms with 7-foot-1 free agent center Kyrylo Fesenko on a one-year contract pending Fesenko passing a physical. Fesenko, who spent the past four seasons mostly as a backup with the Utah Jazz, was in Golden State’s locker room before the game but neither nor the Warriors can talk about the deal until it is complete. … The Warriors have sold out the first three games on this four-game homestand. … Former Golden State guard Jeremy Lin, who signed with the Knicks on Tuesday, entered the game late in the fourth quarter and missed his only shot attempt.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

OAKLAND — Monta Ellis shook off a terrible first half to finish with 22 points and eight assists, Brandon Rush added 19 points off the bench and the Golden State Warriors beat the New York Knicks 92-78 on Wednesday night.

Playing without injured guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors led by as much as 19 before cruising to their second straight impressive win over an Eastern Conference team. Two nights earlier Golden State (2-1) beat the Chicago Bulls 99-91.

Ish Smith had 11 points, four assists and six rebounds while starting in place of Curry, who sat out the game after injuring his surgically repaired ankle against Chicago.

Amare Stoudemire finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for New York while Carmelo Anthony had 13 points.

Ellis went just 4 of 15 in the first half but scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, midway through the fourth quarter when Golden State pulled away.

The Warriors did it once again behind their defense, which stymied Stoudemire and Anthony most of the night. The two combined to go just 8 of 27 and were only 13 for 19 on free throws.

No one else could pick up the scoring slack for the Knicks, who were also outrebounded 47-31 by the smaller but quicker Warriors.

Landry Fields had 13 of his 14 points in the first half. Bill Walker also scored 14 for the Knicks, who failed in their bid to start the season with consecutive victories for the first time since 1999.

Former Knick David Lee scored 13 points for Golden State (2-1).

This was the first stop on a three-game trip to the West Coast for New York.

The Knicks, who beat the Celtics on Christmas Day to kick off the truncated NBA schedule after losing all eight games to Boston in 2010, play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday. They return to Northern California to face the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

The Warriors played without Curry, who landed awkwardly on his surgically repaired right ankle in the fourth quarter of Monday’s win over Chicago.

It was the second time in seven days that Curry injured the ankle. He also missed eight games last season because of lingering ankle problems.

“It was the best thing to give it some time to heal,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson said before the game. “Bottom line is he got hurt landing on somebody and we are going to give it some time to heal.”

Smith started in place of Curry and scored seven of Golden State’s first 10 points. He finished 5 of 13 from the floor.

Anthony and Stoudemire couldn’t get much of anything to fall. The duo repeatedly settled for long jumpers, a trend that continued deep into the fourth quarter.

Even with their two stars off to a slow start, the Knicks took a 43-37 lead into the half.

Golden State closed the gap with a 15-5 run early in the second half, tied the game at 64 when Rush made a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter, then took control with 20-6 burst in the fourth.

The Warriors opened a 19-point lead with 4:09 left when the Knicks frustrations began to show. Tyson Chandler tossed Lee to the ground and was whistled for a technical foul, bringing the sold-out crowd at Oracle Arena to its feet.

Notes: The Warriors have agreed to terms with 7-foot-1 free agent center Kyrylo Fesenko on a one-year contract pending Fesenko passing a physical. Fesenko, who spent the past four seasons mostly as a backup with the Utah Jazz, was in Golden State’s locker room before the game but neither nor the Warriors can talk about the deal until it is complete. … The Warriors have sold out the first three games on this four-game homestand. … Former Golden State guard Jeremy Lin, who signed with the Knicks on Tuesday, entered the game late in the fourth quarter and missed his only shot attempt.

The Chicago Bulls were seeking their second road win as many nights when they faced the Golden State Warriors on December 26 ^th. Last year, when these teams met on the Warriors’ home floor, the Bulls did not have a good showing, falling 100-91. Well history would repeat itself, as Golden State jumped on Chicago early, leading by as many as 19 points, before holding on for a 99-91 victory. Here are my reasons as to why the Bulls came up short against the Warriors for the second straight year.

Poor offensive execution:

The Bulls were not very sharp with their offensive sets. They only had 16 assists against the Warriors after totaling 18 against the Lakers in the first half alone. Regardless of the opponent, when you settle for outside shots, it is easier for the opposing team to defend you. Also, the Bulls were very sloppy with the basketball, committing 20 turnovers. Needless to say, even an average team can win when given so many extra possessions to work with.

Solid defense on Derrick Rose:

When these teams met last year, the Warriors did a good job of hounding rose into a sub-par game as he scored just 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field. This time around, the Warriors’ defense was just as effective, limiting Rose to just 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting. While Rose is the best player on the team, the Bulls tend to rely too much on his ability to score. I know this is only game, but Chicago needs to be more balanced on offense if they expect to take the next step this season.

Lack of defensive intensity:

The Bulls’ defense was lazy in stretches as they gave up a lot of uncontested baskets, which allowed the Warriors to connect on 47% of their field goal attempts. As one of the top defensive teams in the league last season, it was disappointing to see the lack of effort by the Bulls on the defensive end of the court.

Hopefully the Bulls will improve on those lapses because a lot of their success will have to come from being sound both defensively and offensively. As Stacey King mentioned during the telecast, Chicago will not be able to sneak up on teams like they were last year. If they don’t bring the necessary intensity each night, they could be on the losing end of a lot of games against teams they should be able to beat.

James Tillman is a resident of the Chicago-land area who has been a Bulls’ fan since the 1987-1988 season. James is also a fan blogger on Yahoo Sports and NJFFL Dynasty. For interesting discussions about the NBA, NFL and MLB, follow him on Twitter @jtillman9693.

Sources:

Curry leads Warriors to 99-91 win over Bulls

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