Read More: Andris Biedrins (C – GSW), Paul Millsap (F – UTA), Al Harrington (F – DEN), Devin Harris (G – UTA), Dorell Wright (F – GSW), Nate Robinson (G – GSW), David Lee (F – GSW), Gordon Hayward (G – UTA), Derrick Favors (F – UTA), Klay Thompson (G – GSW), Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz

Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) – Derrick Favors had a breakout game with career-highs in points, 23, and rebounds, 17, as his three-point play with 27.8 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime, where Utah completed the 99-92 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Energy Solutions Arena on Saturday.

Favors, who started in place of Al Harrington as he grieves the loss of his grandmother, finished a dunk and hit the ensuing free throw to tie the game at 87, and then came up with a block on Nate Robinson’s drive with 7.9 ticks left in regulation to send the game to overtime.

Utah would outscore the Warriors 12-5 in the extra session for the victory.

“I am just coming out here and playing my game,” said Favors. “Rebounding and defense, that’s my game. Coach trusted me enough at the end of the game to keep me in, so I couldn’t let him down.”

Jamal Tinsley and Paul Millsap tallied 13 points apiece, while Devin Harris and Gordon Hayward added 12 points apiece to give Utah its fifth straight home win.

Robinson finished with 19 points, David Lee scored 18 and Klay Thompson netted 17 as Golden State dropped its third straight contest.

Utah held a seven point lead early in the fourth, but Dorell Wright connected on a trey with 5:42 left to cap an 11-2 run for the Warriors as they took a 78-76 lead.

The teams exchanged buckets over the next five minutes, as Harris pulled his team even at 84 with a midrange jumper with 41.1 seconds remaining.

Robinson responded for the Warriors, drilling a step-back three to put the visitors on top 87-84 with 32.4 ticks on the clock before Favors tied the game on a three-point play as he posterized Andris Biedrins with a dunk in the lane.

Utah tallied the first six points of overtime and never looked back, holding the Warriors without a field goal for the first 4:55 of the extra session to hold on for the victory.

“The frustrating thing is that we had the opportunity to close out the game,” remarked Golden State head coach Mark Jackson. “We needed one stop and we didn’t get it done. It’s disappointing.”

Golden State held a 25-18 advantage after one, and entered the locker room with a 51-46 edge.

The Jazz gained momentum in the third, as Harris connected on a three-pointer four minutes into the frame to give Utah a 56-55 edge, its first since early in the first quarter.

Golden State regained the lead 64-63, late in the third, but Utah closed out the quarter with a 6-1 surge to take a 69-65 lead entering the final frame.

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

SALT LAKE CITY The Utah Jazz will be down three players against the revamped Golden State Warriors tonight at EnergySolutions Arena.

That will make them fit right in with the new-look Warriors.

Center Al Jefferson (grandmother’s funeral), shooting guard Raja Bell (strained left adductor) and backup point guard Earl Watson (ankle) will not be in uniform for the Jazz in this 7 p.m. MT contest.

As such, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin will insert C.J. Miles and Derrick Favors into the starting lineup in place of Bell and Jefferson, respectively.

The move is a bit surprising considering Gordon Hayward started for the first 36 games and then returned recently to the first five when Bell was unable to go due to an injury.

“We kind of like what we get with that second group with (Hayward),” Corbin said. “We can put the ball in his hands a little bit and let C.J. take up the slack with the starting group.”

Hayward is coming off of a season-high scoring performance in which he poured in 26 points off the bench in the Jazz’s 111-105 overtime win Thursday against Minnesota.

This will be the ninth game this season that Bell will miss because of adductor issues. He said he’s been playing through it the last couple of games but the groin muscle has been tight and he hasn’t been able to move as well as he’d prefer.

“I just feeling like I’ve been dragging it,” he said. “I’m not really helping anybody out there doing that, you know?”

Bell isn’t sure if he’ll travel to Los Angeles for Sunday’s game against the Lakers.

Tonight will be Miles’ first start of the season. He didn’t play in Thursday’s game because of hay fever and dizziness, but the seven-year veteran said he’s feeling better today.

The Warriors are expecting to have newly acquired small forward Richard Jefferson available tonight after he was traded from the Spurs in exchange for Stephen Jackson.

Golden State is also without leading scorer Monta Ellis and rookie big Ekpe Udoh, who were traded to Milwaukee. The Warriors now have former University of Utah standout Andrew Bogut, but he will not be available to play due to a broken ankle.

The Warriors’ projected starting lineup includes Nate Robinson, Klay Thompson, Dorell Wright, David Lee and Andris Biedrins.

Sharpshooter Stephen Curry is not expected to play for the Warriors (18-23).

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: DJJazzyJody

Blog: Jazzland.blogs.deseretnews.com

For the second consecutive game, the Utah Jazz provided fans with a dramatic nail-biting overtime victory — this time over the Golden State Warriors.

With both teams depleted due to injuries to key players, Utah had just enough to emerge victorious, 99-92.

Fresh off a pair of trades last week, the Warriors have found themselves trying to assimilate new players on the run.

Favorable Circumstances: It was quite possibly the finest outing for sophomore forward Derrick Favors’ young career. With Golden State playing their traditional small ball line-up, Favors took advantage and created the mismatch in Utah’s favor (pun intended). After a then career-high 16 rebounds Thursday versus Minnesota, he bested that by one Saturday. He simply dominated the boards and was again a huge, imposing presence on defense.

Offensively, he played like a very seasoned veteran. He did not force things and was able to make play after play within the context of Tyrone Corbin’s offense. He scored on a variety of powerful inside moves and nice jump shots, finishing seven of 13 from the field. A 60.4 percent free throw shooter, Favors was perfect against the Warriors, hitting all nine of his attempts — including the shot that tied the game at the end of regulation.

Chairmen of the Boards: For the second game in a row, Utah dominated the glass. With a vertically challenged rotation of David Lee at center and Richard Jefferson at power forward, Golden State simply could not match the height and physicality of the Jazz front court. Led by the aforementioned 17 caroms by Favors, Utah pounded the boards all night to outpace the Warriors 65-40. This was done sans leading rebounder Al Jefferson.

Also for the second consecutive outing, two other players corralled double-digit rebounds. Saturday saw remarkable rebounding by rookie Enes Kanter who collected 13 in just 20 minutes. The ever-consistent Paul Millsap also brought in 12 of his own.

Bench Brillance: As has been a staple for Utah all season long, the Jazz bench came through with some strong efforts. Jamaal Tinsley, filling in for injured teammate Earl Watson, was able to put in a season-high 13 points. His leadership sparked the whole second unit. While his assist totals were pedestrian, his shot was on from the perimeter.

The Golden State Warriors failed in their bid to turn their three-game winning streak into four, but my hometown team still managed to put up an impressive fight in a 105-103 loss to the Boston Celtics at the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Wednesday night.

When the W’s management approved the trade of Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown for the injured Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson, it became obvious to me and a whole lot of other Warriors’ fans that the front office had essentially given up on the season.

Well apparently no one told the remaining members of the Warriors anything about all that.

In the two games without their leading scorer Ellis, the W’s have been playing what looks like inspired basketball, and were just a slightly short three-pointer from Nate Robinson away from sending the Celtics back to Boston with an L for their once-a-year stop in Oakland. (And this was on a back-to-back, as the Warriors smashed the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night right after the trade went down).

With Curry still out (I know he wants to play, but you have to wonder if we’ll see him suit up again this season, with the team trying to lose and all), it was time for Klay Thompson to show what he could do. And boy, did the young rookie ball. Playing 40 minutes for the second game in a row, Thompson put up 26 points with three three-pointers, and maybe showed just a little bit of why the guys upstairs were so comfortable trading away the instant offense of Ellis. He’s still raw, but W’s fans have to like what they’ve seen so far.

And I feel like I always write about Andris Biedrins (and with today being the trade deadline, maybe it’ll be the last time!) but the Warriors were competitive against the Celtics without anything even resembling a center. The Latvian played just 18 minutes, scoring his usual zero points and only pulling down three boards. So without Udoh on the team anymore, and Jeremy Tyler not even getting three minutes of run, that means the W’s played almost 30 minutes without a center on the court. It’s remarkable, really.

And now, in something that seems like it could only be straight out of a movie, the Warriors will be welcoming the Milwaukee Bucks to the Oracle Arena tomorrow night. And who is their new starting shooting guard again, I forgot? Oh right. Monta Ellis. Unreal.

Tip-off is 10:30 Eastern/7:30 Pacific on Friday evening.

REFERENCES:

Josh Dubow, “Garnett leads Celtics part Warriors 105-103,” AP

With the trade now official, and after absorbing a cycle of negative reaction from the fans, members of Warriors management spoke publicly about the team’s blockbuster move.

The gist of their unified message — delivered before Wednesday’s 105-103 loss to visiting Boston — was clear: They hated to see star Monta Ellis go, but it was worth it to get center Andrew Bogut.

“While I know this is hard for many of our fans,” Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob told this newspaper via email, “and perhaps not understandable to them, the fact is we just hit a home run.”

The loss to Boston — in which the Warriors rallied from an eight-point deficit to make it a nail-biter — snapped Golden State’s three-game win streak.

Guard Nate Robinson, who finished with 20 points and 11 assists, missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds that would have put the Warriors ahead.

But not even defeat could squelch the joy of Warriors’ management over Tuesday’s trade.

The Warriors sent Ellis, ever-improving second-year big man Ekpe Udoh and the expiring contract of injured center Kwame Brown to Milwaukee. In return, Golden State received Bogut and swingman Stephen Jackson.

Another reason the Warriors made the trade was amplified Wednesday: rookie swingman Klay Thompson. A bonus from the departure of Ellis, per the Warriors, is that Thompson gets more minutes. Starting his second game at shooting guard, Thompson set a season-high with 26 points on 16 shots in

40 minutes of action.

“There is no secret — he is not afraid of the moment,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson said of Thompson.

Yet, the home run Lacob was referring to is Bogut — a 7-foot, 245-pound, 27-year-old, seven-year veteran.

Though he’s injured, he’s the answer to the franchise’s annual search for a formidable big man. Though the trade cost the Warriors the beloved star of the franchise, the potential for next year’s team — Bogut, Thompson, forward David Lee, point guard

Stephen Curry — was too good to pass up.

Though they had to part with a prized young big man in Udoh, and now need to reassemble the bench, Warriors executives believe the future is as secure as it’s ever been.

“I think next year, oh my goodness,” said Jerry West, an executive board member and consultant for the Warriors. “You cannot judge a trade by what happens today. I think you have to look at what happens in the future. I think there’s a lot of people particularly in the league, who I talked to, that thought we did really well.”

Warriors general manager Larry Riley was ecstatic about the move and apparently couldn’t wait to talk about it. He’s been on the hunt for a center since he took over as the general manager

before the 2009-10 season.

This past offseason, he went after Tyson Chandler (who opted to sign with New York) and DeAndre Jordan (who remained with the Los Angeles Clippers after they matched the Warriors offer). So you can understand why Riley was elated about landing Bogut, whom West called the third-best center in the NBA, presumably behind Orlando’s Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Andrew Bynum.

Riley, recognizing fans were upset at the move, defended the trade before Wednesday’s game.

“We were finally able to bring a big man into this organization and a big man of quality,” Riley said. “It’s not the same old thing anymore. We took a bold step. We know it’s a bold step.

“We were stuck,” Riley continued.

“You want to be stuck three games below .500 at this time of the year every year? You want to be stuck five games below or something like that? That’s where we were. And that’s where we were going again the next year if we couldn’t do something.”

Both Bogut and Stephen Jackson were on their way to the Bay Area by the time Wednesday’s game tipped off. They are scheduled to take their physicals Thursday and will be introduced to local media Friday.

Matt Steinmetz

Matt Steinmetz, the Warriors’ beat writer for CSN Bay Area, joined the show to discuss the trade rumors that have been swirling around Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, and David Lee (amongst other names).  Steinmetz tells us whether he thinks the Warriors are going to pull the trigger on a deal for a big name like Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. He closes out the segment by shedding some light on Stephen Curry’s recurring ankle issues and whether the Warriors could get a decent value in return for Curry.

The Milwaukee Bucks traded Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night for a three-player package headed by high-scoring guard Monta Ellis.

The Bucks also receive forward Ekpe Udoh and centre Kwame Brown in the deal first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on its website.

The trade represents a parting of ways between the Bucks and Bogut, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft who has struggled with injuries. It also allows the Bucks to rid themselves of Jackson, who had fallen out of favour with coach Scott Skiles and now gets to rejoin his former team.

For the Warriors, the trade breaks up the small backcourt of Ellis and Stephen Curry and brings in the type of big man the franchise has been seeking for years.

“We’re extremely excited to acquire a player the calibre of Andrew Bogut, who we think is certainly one of the top centres in the NBA,” general manager Larry Riley said. “He will add an element of toughness to our team and will provide us with scoring, rebounding and a defensive presence in the middle. We’ve lacked those elements in recent years and think that Andrew’s addition will be a key factor in the growth of our team.”

Ellis and Udoh left the team before Golden State’s 115-89 win at Sacramento. The deal was announced shortly after the game ended. Ellis, whose future has been subject of trade speculation, was reminded that he recently said he wanted to stay with the Warriors long term.

“Well, everybody says that,” Ellis said. “But sometimes it (doesn’t) always work out like that.”

The players won’t be separated from their respective former teams for very long, as the Warriors host the Bucks on Friday night.

Bogut fractured his left ankle Jan. 25 against Houston when he landed awkwardly, and it’s not clear if he’ll be able to return this season. The original timetable for his recovery was eight to 12 weeks. It’s one of several significant injuries that have plagued Bogut throughout his career.

Bogut missed the end of the 2009-10 season when he dislocated his right elbow, sprained his right wrist and broke his right hand in a hard fall to the floor. The injury bothered him for much of last season.

Bogut also missed significant time with an injured lower back in the 2008-09 season.

When Bogut has played, he has played well. In 408 career games, he is averaging 12.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots.

The Bucks struggled in February without Bogut, but have won four of their last five to chase down the struggling New York Knicks in a race for what would be the No. 8 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

Jackson, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Feb. 19, recently sitting out with what the team has described as a hamstring injury. Skiles benched him for a game in January after he missed a shootaround, he was suspended one game by the NBA for verbally abusing an official and his playing time has been limited ever since.

The deal brings the enigmatic “Captain Jack” back to the Bay Area. He helped lead the team’s only playoff run since 1994, a surprising trip to the second round in 2007. In October 2009, the disgruntled Golden State star asked to relinquish his captain title during a meeting with Riley and then-Warriors coach Don Nelson. He was traded to Charlotte the next month.

Ellis has been the Warriors’ main offensive threat, averaging 21.9 points. But Golden State struggled to win with the backcourt tandem of Ellis and Curry. The deal clears a spot for 6-foot-7 rookie Klay Thompson to take over at shooting guard, adding needed size to the starting backcourt

Ellis signed a six-year, $66-million contract in July 2008, then injured his left ankle in August in a low-speed moped crash — an off-season activity prohibited in his deal as is a standard provision for contracts around the league. It cost him a 30-game suspension without pay.

Udoh is averaging 5.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 21.8 minutes for the Warriors. Udoh is an athletic power forward who was Golden State’s sixth pick in the 2010 draft out of Baylor. The Warriors hoped he would become a reliable defender, rebounder and shot blocker.

Brown, a former No. 1 overall pick by Washington, is likely out for the season with a chest injury and will be eligible to be a free agent this summer.

“The difficult part of this transaction is having to part ways with several players who we really value and one, in particular, Monta Ellis, who has been instrumental in our organization for the last several years,” Riley said. “We wish Monta, Ekpe and Kwame the best of luck in Milwaukee and thank them for their many contributions.”

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks agreed to trade Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to the Golden State Warriors, a person with direct knowledge of the deal said Tuesday night.

The Bucks will receive guard Monta Ellis, forward Ekpe Udoh and center Kwame Brown, the person confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the deal on its website Tuesday night.

The trade represents a parting of ways between the Bucks and Bogut, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft who has struggled with injuries. It also allows the Bucks to rid themselves of Jackson, who had fallen out of favor with coach Scott Skiles and now gets to rejoin his former team.

The players won’t be separated from their respective former teams for very long, as the Warriors host the Bucks on Friday night.

Speaking before Golden State‘s game at Sacramento on Tuesday, Ellis said he and Udoh were headed back to Oakland.

“It’s not a bad thing, man,” Ellis said. “Not at all. We are going to another team to do the same thing we love to do. I’m riding back home with him.”

Bogut fractured his left ankle Jan. 25 against Houston when he landed awkwardly, and it’s not clear if he’ll be able to return this season. The original timetable for his recovery was eight to 12 weeks. It’s one of several significant injuries that have plagued Bogut throughout his career.

The Australian missed the end of the 2009-10 season when he dislocated his right elbow, sprained his right wrist and broke his right hand in a hard fall to the floor. The injury bothered him for much of last season.

Bogut also missed significant time with an injured lower back in the 2008-09 season.

When Bogut has played, he has played well. In 408 career games, he is averaging 12.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots.

The Bucks struggled in February without Bogut, but have won four of their last five to chase down the struggling New York Knicks in a race for what would be the No. 8 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

Jackson, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Feb. 19, recently sitting out with what the team has described as a hamstring injury. Skiles benched him for a game in January after he missed a shootaround, he was suspended one game by the NBA for verbally abusing an official and his playing time has been limited ever since.

The deal brings the enigmatic “Captain Jack” back to the Bay Area. He helped lead the team’s only playoff run since 1994, a surprising trip to the second round in 2007. In October 2009, the disgruntled Golden State star asked to relinquish his captain title during a meeting with then-Warriors coach Don Nelson and general manager Larry Riley. He was traded to Charlotte the next month.

Ellis has been the Warriors’ main offensive threat, averaging 21.9 points.

Ellis signed a six-year, $66 million contract in July 2008, then injured his left ankle in August in a low-speed mo-ped crash — an offseason activity prohibited in his deal as is a standard provision for contracts around the league. It cost him a 30-game suspension without pay.

Udoh is averaging 5.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 21.8 minutes for the Warriors, who were set to play at Sacramento on Tuesday night. Udoh is an athletic power forward who was Golden State’s sixth pick in the 2010 draft out of Baylor. The Warriors hoped he would become a reliable defender, rebounder and shot blocker.

Brown, a former No. 1 pick, is likely out for the season with a chest injury.

___

AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.

Depending on which media outlet you want to believe, a three-team deal involving Monta Ellis, Chris Kaman, and Dwight Howard is reportedly being discussed. But according to the Contra Costa Times, a blockbuster trade is unlikely to happen this week: “Team sources, once again, refute reports that Golden State is considering trading guard Monta Ellis to Orlando for anything other than Dwight Howard. Warriors management has held with that stance even though the latest possibility includes a third team – New Orleans. [...] One of the sources said the Warriors would not give up Ellis for Hornets center Chris Kaman, reportedly New Orleans’ key piece in the three-team talks. Golden State sources have consistently said they want a star in return if they move Ellis. Kaman, who is two years removed from his best year and is a free agent at season’s end, doesn’t qualify in the Warriors’ minds. There is basically no combination of players, from Orlando and/or New Orleans, that will make the Warriors part with Ellis. As a matter of fact, the Warriors are embracing the reality that a trade – especially a major splash – won’t happen by Thursday’s trade deadline. One Golden State source the team would be OK if they didn’t pull off the trade now. That way, the Warriors can deal in the offseason, this time without the lockout hindrances from last offseason.”

SACRAMENTO — The Warriors entered Monday four games back, two games in the loss column, of Denver … for the No. 6 seed in the NBA’s Western Conference.

Yes, after consecutive wins against winning teams, Golden State is thinking playoffs.

“We’ve just got to take care of what we can control,” Warriors point guard Stephen Curry said. “Our game count is lower than most teams. That means we’ve got a lot of catching up to do. But that means we have control of the situation. It’s not like we need other teams to go on a crazy losing streak. We just need to get some wins and close that gap, so we’re focused on that.”

Despite all the disappointing losses, and the daunting schedule ahead, Golden State (17-21)

is sporting newfound confidence. After getting routed at home by Memphis on Wednesday, the Warriors beat up on Dallas and survived in a gutsy road win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Houston (22-20) entered Monday owning the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Golden State is 13th but just three back of the Rockets with 28 games to play.

Tuesday, Golden State plays at Sacramento, owner of the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Wednesday, the Warriors host a Boston team playing its third game in three nights. On Friday, Golden State hosts Milwaukee, which is 8-15 on the road.

The road is paved for the Warriors to make a run. The question is will they finally make one.

“We just need to

take it one game at a time,” guard Monta Ellis said. “We need to continue doing what we have been doing the last couple of games, which is sharing the ball, getting defensive stops and getting out and running.”

The Warriors might get to give it a go with the current unit. According to team sources, the club is embracing the likelihood that a trade — especially a major splash — won’t happen by Thursday’s deadline.

Golden State, as this newspaper reported, was gearing up to make a

play for Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut. But that attempt comes with many hurdles. Not only might Bogut (fractured left ankle) be done for the year. But any deal for him might require bringing back Stephen Jackson, who left the Warriors on bad terms in 2009.

Sources dismissed reports Monday that Golden State is considering trading Ellis in a three-team deal involving Orlando and New Orleans. Golden State still isn’t willing to part with Ellis for anything on Orlando other than Dwight Howard. And no one on the Hornets, not even former All-Star center Chris Kaman, makes the Warriors willing to part with Ellis, one source said.

Warriors management might look for a smaller deal to give the team an immediate boost. But one team source

said Golden State is OK if it doesn’t pull off a trade by the deadline. That way, the Warriors can deal in the offseason, this time without the lockout hindrances from last offseason.

That would mean the current crew would have the chance to pull off We Believe II. The team already has caught the eye of NBA commissioner David Stern.

“They’re picking up some wins that are causing people to raise their eyebrows,” Stern told this newspaper. “I’m watching the Western Conference and there are five teams with 21 losses. And Houston and Dallas, which are seventh and eighth, have 20 losses. There are a lot of teams that think if they can get hot, they’re going to get in. That’s pretty exciting, isn’t it? As the commissioner, I’m feeling

pretty lucky.”

No one will confuse the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings with NBA
powers, but matchups between the Pacific Division rivals tend to be competitive
and exciting.

The Warriors, who could again be without Stephen Curry, visit the Kings on
Tuesday night at Power Balance Pavilion, where two of their last three meetings
have gone to overtime.

Golden State (17-21) and Sacramento (14-27) own two of the Western
Conference’s worst records along with a recent history of playing some
particularly tight contests.

The Warriors and Kings have split their six games since the start of last
season, with Sacramento outscoring Golden State 658-657. Three of these
contests, including the last meeting – Sacramento’s 114-106 home win Feb. 4 -
have gone to overtime.

Golden State’s Klay Thompson sent the game to OT with a 3-pointer with nine
seconds left, but the Kings reeled off nine straight points to begin the extra
session. Sacramento’s Marcus Thornton finished with 28 points, Tyreke Evans had
26 and nine assists and DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and a career-high 20
rebounds.

Four days earlier at Oracle Arena, the Warriors held on to beat the Kings
93-90 after allowing Sacramento to trim a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit to
one with three seconds remaining. Brandon Rush, who had a season-high 20 points,
then hit two free throws before Evans missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Thornton, who leads the Kings in scoring at 18.5 points per game, didn’t
play because of a left thigh bruise, and neither Curry nor Monta Ellis were much
of a factor. Ellis, who averages a team-best 21.9 points, finished with 12 on
5-of-17 shooting, while Curry missed 6 of 7 shots and scored three.

It’s possible the Warriors could be without Curry this time after he left
Sunday’s 97-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Curry, who averages 14.7
points, started after spraining his right ankle the night before in a win over
Dallas, but played just 10 scoreless minutes.

“I just felt it wasn’t right to throw him out there,” coach Mark Jackson
said.

Curry has been plagued by ankle problems most of the season, and it’s
uncertain if Jackson will give him more time off to recover. The Warriors are
4-8 without him.

Dorell Wright helped pick up some of the scoring slack in Curry’s absence
Sunday, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Ellis added 21 points and
11 assists while David Lee had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Warriors have won three of four, averaging 109.3 points on 53.3 percent
shooting – 52.4 from 3-point range – in the victories.

“We just need to take it one game at a time,” Ellis said. “We need to
continue doing what we have been doing the last couple of games, which is
sharing the ball, getting defensive stops, and getting out and running.”

The Kings appeared to be turning the corner after opening a franchise-record
nine-game homestand with victories over New Orleans and Dallas. Two days after
beating the defending champs by 13 points, however, they suffered a 106-99 loss
to Atlanta on Sunday. Sacramento was outrebounded 45-36 and allowed the Hawks to
shoot 51.2 percent.

“That’s kind of what immature teams do,” rookie guard Isaiah Thomas said.
“The energy wasn’t there like it was because we were playing the world
champions. We have to get better and get up for every day.”

The Los Angeles Clippers played down to their opponent and fell to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday March 11. Even after a furious fourth quarter rally by Los Angeles, the Warriors held on to win by a score of 97-93. With the loss, the Clippers fall to 23-16 on the season. This game shows that an emerging Clipper team still has a lot of work to do before they’re considered a contender.

Clippers/Warriors 3/11/12
Kyle Rapoza

Being in attendance for the game, it was clear that Golden State was the more physical and more aggressive team for most of the game. Surprisingly, their lineup of primarily guards gave Los Angeles the most trouble. The Clipper defense struggled when they were forced to play three guards together and match up with the Warriors’ athleticism.

Los Angeles was done in by poor free throw shooting throughout the game. They made just 19 out of 35 free throws for 54%. Many of the attempts weren’t even close and barely hit the rim. In the end, a four point loss was decided by free throw shooting.

The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin who finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds for the game. Griffin shot just seven out of 15 at the line though. Golden State played physical on Blake throughout and it really seemed to get to him late in the game. His free throw shooting was affected, and Blake appeared to force things on the offensive end at key times.

Much of their fourth quarter rally featured a lineup that included reserves Eric Bledsoe, Reggie Evans, and Bobby Simmons. Credit should go to coach Vinny Del Negro for keeping with the hot hand in crunch time. The rally came up short as Golden State regained their composure in the final two minutes and Monta Ellis made hit big baskets to lead his team to the victory.

Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 21 points, six rebounds and 11 assists. Dorrell Wright also got hot from three point range and finished with 20 points and four three pointers.

Being at the game, it’s fun to see energy in the stands for Clipper games again. This team is certainly improved and is fun to watch again. These are the type of games that championship contenders need to win and take care of business. The lack of energy early in the game shows the Clippers aren’t quite there yet. They’re certainly getting closer though.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. He’s a lifelong NBA fan that has enjoyed watching the Clippers’ rise to relevancy this season.

Source:

Clippers vs. Warriors box score

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Dallas Mavericks were crushed by the lowly Golden State Warriors 111-87 on Saturday night, their seventh consecutive road defeat, and stretching their current slump to 8 losses out of the last 10 contests. Mavs fans are stunned and disappointed by the team’s swoon, but they understand that this compacted season and all these back-to-back games are especially difficult on veteran teams like Dallas (and the Lakers, for example, who are also suffering a mid-season slump). We fans can only hope that the cagy Mavs’ veterans are saving up their energy for a final late season surge.

This game was all Golden State as Dallas pretty much slept-walked through the whole contest. It was 26-15 at the end of the first quarter and 52-42 at the half. Things just got worse for the Mavs in the second half as they were outscored by seven points in each quarter to lose by 24.

Dirk Nowitzki was the leading scorer for Dallas with 22 points and 4 rebounds, and Jason Terry added 15 points and 5 assists. Golden State had five players in double figures. David Lee led the Warriors with 25 points and 9 rebounds, and Nate Robinson chipped in 21 points and 5 boards in the easy home win.

Dallas drops to 23-20 on the season with the loss, but fortunately the team gets a couple of days of much-needed rest before a home match up with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, March 13. Golden State moves to 16-21 with the victory, and has to play back-to-back games as they travel to Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Sunday night.

Clayton Browne lives in Austin, Texas and is a big-time NBA fan. He follows both the Mavs and the Spurs closely.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

LOS ANGELES — Just like that, the game was tied at 83, with more than four minutes still to go. Golden State’s 21-point lead, which they held just 10 minutes earlier, was extinct.

The stage was set for another disappointing loss. The Warriors, finishing a back-to-back set, were again reeling, wilting under the pressure of a late run by the home team. This time, though, they didn’t cave.

Rather suddenly, Golden State flipped the switch Sunday — just in time to pull out a 97-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Over the final 3:19, after a timeout allowed them to regroup, the Warriors made every necessary play down the stretch.

“We don’t have a history of responding when an opponent

increases the volume,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson proudly told reporters after the game. “I love the fact that my guys settled down and made plays.”

The Warriors survived despite scoring just 19 points on 5-for-13 shooting with six turnovers in the fourth quarter. Even with the fourth-quarter struggles, Golden State still finished at 51.4 percent from the field, including 8 of 15 from 3-point range.

The Warriors held the Clippers to 43 percent shooting.

That’s two straight victories. A game at Sacramento on Tuesday, a winnable game, is the only thing standing between the Warriors and their second three-game win streak of the season. Their confidence is sky high after knocking off a rested Clippers team in the running for

a top-four seed in the Western Conference.

For good reason, too. With point guard Stephen Curry glued to the bench — the Warriors took the Clippers’ best shot and, though dazed, didn’t fall.

“At the end of the day, we looked up and saw we were still ahead,” guard Monta Ellis said after totaling 21 points and 11 assists, his second 20-and-10 game of the season. “We kept our composure.”

The Warriors regained control after starting center Ekpe Udoh blocked a runner by Clippers

guard Eric Bledsoe. Ellis grabbed the rebound and went coast-to-coast, dropping in a reverse layup in traffic to put the Warriors up 85-83 with 2:58 left.

After Griffin split a pair of free throws, forward Brandon Rush put the Warriors up 87-84 by dunking back Udoh’s miss. Rush then grabbed a critical rebound on the ensuing defensive possession, securing a much-needed stop.

Then David Lee (18 points, 10 rebounds), who had been in foul trouble all night, converted a tough driving layup to put the Warriors up by five. He ran to the bench flexing his muscles after the Clippers called a timeout with 1:27 left.

Before Ellis’ basket, the Warriors had totaled five points and six turnovers in the quarter. But in a span of less than

two minutes, they were as clutch as ever.

After the timeout, the Warriors took advantage of another Clippers turnover — an illegal rim assist — to get the ball back. Rookie swingman Klay Thompson knocked down two free throws to put Golden State ahead 91-84 with 1:19 left. They were the first of eight free throws the Warriors made down the stretch to seal it.

“No reason to panic,” forward Dorell Wright said. “We were up, and they made their run.”