Sonics can’t keep up
The Warriors moved the ball so well they had no need to stand around the perimeter and shoot 3-pointer after 3-pointer.
They converted alley-oops and got everybody involved offensively.
Still, they only beat undermanned Seattle.
Jason Richardson scored 26 points and Golden State ended its second five-game losing streak of the season with a 109-93 win over the struggling SuperSonics Monday in Oakland, Calif.
“Feels better,” coach Mike Montgomery said. “This is what we had to have. They knew that. I knew that. We had to have this game.”
Baron Davis had 25 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds two days after posting his fifth career triple-double with 24 points, 13 assists and a career-high 11 rebounds in a 110-104 home loss to the Lakers. The Warriors haven’t had a player record back-to-back triple-doubles since Wilt Chamberlain on March 7 and 10, 1964, against the Los Angeles Lakers and Baltimore.
While Richardson pointed out this was only one win, it was certainly important for Golden State’s psyche at this stage.
“It gives us the kind of attitude and swagger that we can get back,” Davis said. “It’s uplifting. We attacked the basket at opportune times and didn’t rely solely on jumpers.”
Mike Dunleavy added 22 points and Mickael Pietrus 19 off the bench in his second game back after missing 23 games with a sprained right knee. The Warriors avoided their first six-game losing streak since last Jan. 21-Feb. 2 and their first since acquiring Davis at the trading deadline last season.
Luke Ridnour had 18 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds and Damien Wilkins also had 18, but the Sonics looked out of sync playing again without suspended leading scorer Ray Allen. He missed his third game to complete his penalty for fighting with Orlando’s Keyon Dooling last Wednesday.
Rashard Lewis, Seattle’s second-leading scorer, was held to 10 points on 5-for-17 shooting – 0-of-5 from 3-point range – and seemed sluggish trying to carry more weight in Allen’s absence.
“I just couldn’t get it going,” Lewis said. “I didn’t have the bounce or rhythm. If I’m missing shots and creating turnovers, I should get taken out. All I’m doing is messing up the game.”
Even Montgomery acknowledged his team caught Seattle at the right time. What did Golden State do better in this game?
“Scheduled,” Montgomery quipped.
The Warriors used a 13-2 run late in the third quarter to turn a close game into an 85-67 lead and Golden State led comfortably the rest of the way.
Nick Collison and Robert Swift each had 12 points off the bench for Seattle, which came in allowing a league-high 105.3 points per game and lost its sixth in seven games.
The Sonics played without forward Danny Fortson and center Vitaly Potapenko. Fortson (sore left knee) and Potapenko (lower back strain) did not travel.
Timberwolves 96, Knicks 90: At New York, Troy Hudson scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, including a clinching 3-pointer with 7.3 seconds left, as Minnesota beat New York. Wally Szczerbiak and Kevin Garnett each had 24 points for Minnesota.
Hornets 107, Bobcats 92: At Charlotte, N.C., Chris Paul had 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead New Orleans past Charlotte. David West added 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who earned their 18th win, matching their victory total from last season.
Lakers 100, Heat 92: At Los Angeles, Shaq and Kobe had what amounted to a virtual love-fest – at least for them. Kobe Bryant then went out and scored 12 of his 37 points in the last 8 1/2 minutes as Los Angeles beat Miami. The longtime protagonists shook hands, embraced briefly and exchanged a few words at center court before the game when the team captains and game officials met. They exchanged another hug before the opening tipoff as the fans at Staples Center voiced their approval.
Wizards 104, 76ers 76: At Washington, Gilbert Arenas had 22 points and a season-high 12 assists to help Washington hold Philadelphia to its lowest point total of the season in a rout of the Sixers.
Hawks 94, Rockets 83: At Atlanta, Al Harrington had 28 points and Joe Johnson added 22 as Atlanta became the last NBA team to win 10 games, beating a Houston team playing without injured Tracy McGrady.
Pistons 94, Celtics 84: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Rasheed Wallace scored 18 of his 23 points in the third quarter as Detroit beat Boston. The Pistons have won 15 of 17 and are an NBA-best 30-5. Paul Pierce scored 21 points and Delonte West had 20 Boston.
Nuggets 97, Bulls 94: At Chicago, Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points and Kenyon Martin added 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead Denver to a win over Chicago.
Nets 97, Pacers 92: At East Rutherford, N.J., Jason Kidd scored 23 points and made a season-high five 3-pointers to help New Jersey beat injury-depleted Indiana. Vince Carter added 24 points and Nenad Krstic had 20 for New Jersey, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Clippers 102, Jazz 93 (OT): At Los Angeles, Elton Brand scored six of his 35 points in overtime and had 14 rebounds after missing two games because of a sore right hip as Los Angeles knocked Utah out of first place in the Northwest Division. Sam Cassell had 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Clippers.
Mavericks 114, Bucks 95: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki made up for the poor-shooting game he had last time Dallas played Milwaukee by going 14 of 21 and scoring 35 points in a win over the Bucks.
Spurs 93, Grizzlies 83: At Memphis, Tenn., Tony Parker scored 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting as San Antonio beat Memphis. He was also 4 of 4 from the line.
Magic end Francis’ suspension
Steve Francis was reinstated by the Orlando Magic, three days after he was suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Francis, who missed two games, met with team officials Monday.
“We now consider the matter closed and look forward to Steve’s return to practice tomorrow,” assistant general manager Otis Smith said in a statement.
Citing anonymous sources, two newspapers reported Francis was suspended for refusing to re-enter in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to Seattle last week.