By Tom Ziller

– NBA Editor

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Jan 3, 2012 – The Phoenix Suns, known primarily for their offense since Steve Nash arrived in 2004, had struggled on that end this season. But all the Suns needed was a matinee against the Golden State Warriors, which is just what they got on Monday. The Suns beat the Warriors 102-91 as Nash roared with 21 points on 9-13 shooting, nine assists and two turnovers.

The Suns’ 102 points came in 91 possessions for an offensive rating of 112. The Warriors had appeared to be improving on defense under rookie head coach Mark Jackson, but that progress took a fall on Monday. Suns rookie Markieff Morris racked up 16 points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench.

Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 16 points on 6-16 shooting with 11 assists, five rebounds and three turnovers. Stephen Curry scored 10 points, but played just 23 minutes due to foul trouble. David Lee was inactive, forcing Jackson to start Dominic McGuire at foward with Dorell Wright.

The Suns and Warriors are now each 2-3.

For more on the Suns, visit Bright Side Of The Sun. For more on the Warriors, visit Golden State Of Mind.

Read More: Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns, Jan 2, 2012 3:30 PM EST

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Channing Frye #8 of the Phoenix Suns battles for possession of the ball with Dominic McGuire #5 of the Golden State Warriors in an NBA game played on January 2, 2012 at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

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by Paul Coro – Jan. 2, 2012 01:30 PM
The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com

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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.

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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.)

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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.

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The New York Knicks head out on the road to take on the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night (Dec. 28). It’s a tough game because of the depth and youth that the Warriors have on their side, but a good aspect of this match-up is that Stephen Curry may miss the game with an injury.

Curry is one of the best young guards in the NBA, but he is down with an injured ankle that he suffered in the preseason and then re-aggravated. Curry averaged 18.6 points and 5.8 assists as the point guard for the Warriors last season and was looking to improve upon those numbers. He played in the first two games for the Warriors this season, averaging 12.5 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals, so having him out of the game really helps New York. There is a chance he feels better by game time, but even if he plays, Curry will have limited mobility.

For the Knicks, this is a great chance to prove something to the rest of the league. Having a road trip to the West Coast this early in the season is a tough endeavor, with games against Golden State Wednesday (Dec. 28), the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday (Dec. 29) and the Sacramento Kings on Saturday (Dec. 31). Hopefully it’s a test that the team can pass, and that by the end of December the Knicks are sitting in first place with a 4-0 record.

The Knicks are also still trying to figure things out with a host of new players this season. Guard Mike Bibby is back in the lineup and should provide some minutes off the bench and that is extremely important with Iman Shumpert out due to an injury he suffered in the first game.

The starters for the Knicks are point guard Toney Douglas, shooting guard Landry Fields, small forward Carmelo Anthony, power forward Amare Stoudemire and center Tyson Chandler. For the Warriors, the starters could shift if Curry is unable to play. The most likely scenario is that Monta Ellis shifts to point guard and Brandon Rush joins the starting lineup as the shooting guard. Starting at small forward is Dorell Wright, at power forward is David Lee and at center is Andris Biedrins.

The Warriors are averaging 92.5 points per game while giving up 98 per game through the first two opponents. The team has posted a 1-1 record and is grabbing 42 rebounds per night. New York scored 106 points in the game against the Boston Celtics and gave up 104 points. The team only managed 31 rebounds though, making the Knicks the worst rebounding team in the NBA so far. Hopefully that can change a bit on Wednesday night.

Anthony is also the leading scorer in the NBA with 37 points per game and Chandler is second in blocks at 6 per game. Those are just stats from one game and the Knicks hope they can get duplicated on Wednesday night. Start time is at 10:30 p.m. ET and the game is on NBA TV for fans to watch.

More From YCN :

Knicks Take First Place

No_Garnett_Suspension

New_York_Wins_Opener_Against_Boston

Knicks_Win_Second_Preseason_Game

Baron_Davis_Comes_To_Knicks

Sources:

NBA Statistics

Full Knicks Schedule

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

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Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

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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Read More: mark jackson, oracle arena, 2011-12 nba schedule, 2011-12 nba season, Andris Biedrins (C – GSW), Monta Ellis (G – GSW), David Lee (F – GSW), Brandon Rush (G – GSW), Stephen Curry (G – GSW), Klay Thompson (G – GSW), Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls at Golden State Warriors, Dec 26, 2011 7:30 PM PST

The Golden State Warriors hung tough withe the Los Angeles Clippers for the majority of Christmas night, but fell silent down the stretch, eventually losing Mark Jackson’s first game as an NBA coach. Now the W’s have to refocus themselves for a meeting with the ever so dangerous Chicago Bulls, who are fresh off their nail-biting win over the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday themselves.

Andris Biedrins and David Lee were taking care of business the majority of the night down low, but it was the backcourt that struggled against the Clip Show as a hobbled Stephen Curry finished with more turnovers (5) than points (4) while Monta Ellis went 6-19 from the field, something Golden State will have to improve this evening. Hopefully they can have similar output from bench guys like Brandon Rush and rookie Klay Thompson, each scoring 12 and seven respectfully.

Golden State began Christmas night rigid on defense but folded in the second half, allowing 105 points including 65 in the second half alone. Like the Clippers, the Bulls are a high powered offense, and will prove to be another early test for Jackson and his defense-first mentality.

These two teams split their meetings last season, with each winning a game on their home court. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm PT from Oracle Arena with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more on the Warriors, head over to Golden State of Mind.

There is the quick update of the day.