76ers-Warriors Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Dec 31 2011 1:37AM

Although Golden State coach Mark Jackson believes his team will win with defense, Monta Ellis' offensive production likely will also play a big role in the Warriors' success.

Jackson will need someone else to step up on the offensive end in Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers if Ellis does not return in time from attending to a family matter.

Ellis was excused from Golden State's practice on Friday to attend his grandmother's funeral in Mississippi and it's uncertain when he'll return. Jackson said he told Ellis to take all the time he needs before returning.

Ellis' grandmother, Mary Cole, died on Christmas morning at age 89. Despite the sad news, Ellis still played in the Warriors' opener later that night and their next two games. He finished with 15 points on 6 of 19 shooting in the Christmas loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, but has fared much better in the last two - both wins.

That has usually been the case, as Ellis goes, so goes Golden State (2-1). Since the start of last season, the Warriors are 32-16 when Ellis reaches the 22-point mark, but 4-29 when he doesn't. He had 22 points in a 110-95 home win over the 76ers last December and scored 27 in an overtime loss in Philadelphia on March 6.

Ellis, who is averaging a team-high 21.0 points and has led Golden State in scoring each of the last two seasons, had 26 points in a win over Chicago on Monday and scored 22 in Wednesday's 92-78 victory over New York. He had 12 of his points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors outscored the Knicks 28-14.

While Ellis' late-scoring surge helped Golden State prevail, Jackson credits his team's defense for the win. The Warriors held New York to 26.3 percent shooting in the fourth quarter (5 of 19) and 19.0 percent shooting from 3-point range (4 of 21) in the game.

"This is going to be strange to hear: We're a defensive team," Jackson said. "It's a shocker. Great players are going to come in and have great nights, but our job is make it tough. The defense gave us a chance to win a ballgame."

If Ellis doesn't play on New Year's Eve, Jackson is expected to give Ish Smith a second straight start.

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

Curry, who had 21 points and 10 assists against the Bulls, participated in noncontact drills during Friday's practice and is expected to play Saturday in the finale of a season-opening four-game homestand.

Philadelphia (1-2), in the midst of a season-opening five-game road trip, arrives in the Bay Area following Friday's 102-99 loss to Utah. Jrue Holiday scored 22 points and reserve Lou Williams added 20 but missed what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Spencer Hawes also missed a tip shot from two feet out off Williams' missed layup with five seconds remaining and the Sixers down by two.

"I didn't get the bounce, Spencer didn't get the tip," Williams said. "It happens."

Williams is averaging a team-best 19.3 points for Philadelphia, which has lost eight of its last 10 games at Golden State.

76ers overcome slow start, roll past Warriors

Posted Jan 01 2012 12:41AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) For a team in the midst of a grueling season-opening, five-game road trip, Philadelphia looked surprisingly fresh against Golden State.

On the second half of a back-to-back at that - and after falling into a 13-point hole early.

It's the type of stuff Elton Brand came to expect from the 76ers a season ago, a pattern they'll have to continue to make it through the rugged Eastern Conference.

"We kind of came together tonight defensively and you saw how we shared the ball," said Brand, who tied his career high of five steals in the 76ers' 107-79 victory over the Warriors on Saturday night. "That's how we were last year. It bodes well for our psyche to win a ballgame like that, especially being down and having to grind it out."

One night after blowing a 13-point lead in a loss to Utah, Philadelphia fell behind by that same margin early against Golden State before outscoring the Warriors 69-41 over the second and third quarters.

More telling were the Sixers' season-high 29 assists, seven from Andre Iguodala, who also had 14 points and eight rebounds.

Lou Williams added 23 points off the bench, while Spencer Hawes had his third double-double this season with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers, who have one more stop left on their road trip - the longest to start a season in franchise history.

"There are certain moments that you don't forget as a coach, and today will be one of those days," coach Doug Collins said. "I thought we got our team back today. Our bench turned the game around for us."

Stephen Curry, back in the lineup after a one-game absence due to a sprained ankle, scored 21 points for Golden State, which played without guard Monta Ellis.

"Just a disappointing outing across the board," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "They (came) here with the mindset of beating us and they did it."

The Sixers were playing for the second straight night while the Warriors hadn't played since Wednesday. It showed early, as Golden State built a lead midway through the first quarter.

Collins tweaked his lineup slightly after that, getting Williams on the court in place of starting guard Jodie Meeks.

Williams, who missed a potential tying shot in the final seconds against Utah, immediately gave the Sixers a spark and finished 7 of 11 from the floor, 4 for 4 on 3-pointers.

He scored on a three-point play in the fourth quarter to give Philadelphia a 91-66 lead, sending many in the crowd of 19,084 streaming for the exits.

"I just thought we continued to push through the game," Williams said. "They made a run early on and the second group came on and was able to close the gap, then the first group came back in and steadied the ship after that. We just continued to push forward."

Philadelphia, which had lost five of its previous six in Oracle Arena, built a 20-point lead early in the third quarter, then coasted the rest of the way.

Ellis, who left the team earlier in the week following the death of his grandmother, was in Mississippi for the funeral. It's uncertain whether he'll return in time for Monday's game in Phoenix.

Klay Thompson started in place of Ellis and scored three points with three assists.

Curry did not play in Wednesday's win over the New York Knicks after spraining his right ankle two nights earlier, the same ankle he had surgery on in May.

The Warriors held Curry out of practice this week then cleared him to play against the Sixers.

Both decisions paid off nicely for Golden State.

Curry looked strong following the brief layoff and moved around without any noticeable restrictions. He also scored 10 points in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left to give the Warriors a 25-19 lead.

Philadelphia, which missed 11 of its first 14 shots while settling for mid-range jumpers, attacked Golden State's defense more aggressively in the second and scored 31 points to take control.

Less than 24 hours after their meltdown against the Jazz, Philadelphia didn't let up against Golden State and led by as much as 66-45 midway through the third quarter.

"We had them right where we wanted ... and we let them back into the game," Curry said. "It's one of those games that's going to make us stronger in the end, but you can't have it at home when you have a chance to go 3-1 to start our season off."

The Warriors, who didn't attempt a free throw until 2 1/2 minutes into the second half, played so sluggishly after their quick start that new owner Joe Lacob slumped in his courtside chair, arms folded in frustration.

Golden State managed just 12 points in the third and trailed 72-54 going into the final period.

Notes: It was the first time since Oct. 3, 2010, that Golden State did not take a free throw in the first half. ... The Warriors play seven of their next 10 on the road, beginning with a three-game trip to Phoenix, San Antonio and Los Angeles to face the Lakers.

Notebook: Sixers 107, Warriors 79

By Geoff Lepper, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday January 1, 2012 12:27AM

THE FACTS: Lou Williams scored a game-high 23 points, knocking down all four of his 3-point attempts, and the Philadelphia 76ers won despite finishing up an all-road back-to-back, beating the Golden State Warriors 107-79 Saturday. Thaddeus Young had 16 points and six rebounds for a 76ers bench that outscored the Warriors' reserves 58-30. Stephen Curry's 21 points led the Warriors, but they were held to just 38.2 percent shooting in the absence of leading scorer Monta Ellis, who missed the game to attend his grandmother's funeral.

QUOTABLE: "I hope we can get these Sixer fans back. I hope they've seen on this road trip in our two losses it's been right down to the finish and we've bounced back in each one of those. That resiliency I talked about last year, and we've done it both times this year."
-- 76ers coach Doug Collins on Philadelphia rebounding from a 102-99 loss to Utah on Friday.

THE STAT: The 76ers won despite playing a fourth road game in six nights and on the second half of a back-to-back. The Warriors, meanwhile, had rested for two full days prior to the game. Philadelphia betrayed no fatigue, however, in outscoring Golden State by 34 points over the final three periods.

TURNING POINT: Philadelphia had already opened up a 10-point lead by halftime, but a 14-3 run over the first 6 minutes of the third quarter -- keyed by six points and an assist from Jrue Holiday -- bled off any suspense and brought Oracle Arena's boobirds out from hibernation for the first time this season.

HOT: Williams was impressive all night, but especially so in the second quarter, when he knocked down a trio of 3-pointers to key Philadelphia's 31-17 advantage in that period.

NOT: David Lee had 19 points on the night for Golden State, but he was held to an obviously frustrating 5-for-18 performance in the first half.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Philadelphia center Spencer Hawes continued his run of solid performances to open the season, providing 14 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and a block in 30 minutes.

GOOD MOVE: The 76ers wanted to make sure that Curry, coming back off a one-game absence due to a sprained right ankle, couldn't beat them single-handedly. So Philadelphia trapped hard any time they could on Golden State's screen-roll action, often forcing the ball out of Curry's hands. And outside of Curry's 9-for-15, the Warriors combined to shoot a feeble 33.8 percent (25-for-74).

QUOTABLE II: "We kind of came together defensively. You saw how we shared the ball. That's what we were last year, playing defense and sharing the ball. This is one we had to have."
-- Sixers forward Elton Brand.

ROOKIE. WATCH: With Ellis absent, Klay Thompson stepped in at shooting guard for Golden State, making his first NBA start. Thompson hit his first shot of the night -- a 3-pointer in the first quarter as the Warriors raced out to a 20-7 lead -- but went 0-for-2 the rest of the way with three turnovers offsetting his three assists.

NOTABLE: A Warriors team spokesman said there's no timetable for Ellis to rejoin the Warriors, who have an afternoon tip in Phoenix on Monday. . . . Brand finished with only seven points for the 76ers, but filled other categories in the box score: six rebounds, four assists and a career-high-tying five steals. . . . This was the Warriors' first home game on New Year's Eve since moving to the Bay Area in 1962. Golden State is 6-2 on the road in Dec. 31 games during the last 49 seasons. . . . Golden State did not attempt a free throw until the 9:26 mark of the third quarter, when Lee was hacked in the lane and made one of two. It was the first time the Warriors went dry from the line for an entire half since Oct. 31, 2010 against the Lakers. . . . Golden State big man Ekpe Udoh, maligned for his lack rebounding last year as a rookie, set a career best with nine boards.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Monday @ Phoenix, Wednesday @ San Antonio, Friday @ Lakers. For the 76ers, Wednesday @ New Orleans, Friday vs. Detroit, Saturday vs. Toronto.

• 76ers: Allen
• Warriors: Ellis

• 76ers: --
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #32 Eddie F. Rush, #26 Pat Fraher, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 19084
• Duration: 2:01