Monta Ellis had 33 points, seven assists and five rebounds as the Warriors held off the Houston Rockets 106-97 at Oracle Arena on Sunday.
Golden State has won five of its last eight games. Four of those were against winning teams. The Warriors (10-14) head into Monday night’s game against Phoenix looking for their first three-game win streak of the season and get closer to their goal of reaching .500 before the All-Star break.
Ellis has totaled 81 points his last two games in Oakland.
Golden State shot 50.6 percent from the field.
But the story of the game was the Warriors’ defense. Houston came into Sunday’s game ranking sixth in scoring (98.1 points per game) and 10th in field goal percentage (45.3). That didn’t figure to bode well for Golden State, which came in 29th in points allowed (100.9 per game).
Instead, the Warriors held the Rockets to 41.3 percent shooting and below their season scoring average.
Houston guard Kevin Martin finished with 28 points, but he missed 9 of 16 shots and turned the ball over four times. Point guard Kyle Lowry, a sleeper for the West All-Star team after his hot start, scored 10 points on 10 shots.
The Rockets bench was 12-for-30 shooting.
“We’re just having each others’ back,” Ellis said. “Scrapping. Intensity. We’re ready to turn this thing around. Right now is a great opportunity.”
The Warriors entered the fourth quarter up 76-74, then turned it up a notch defensively to pull away. Golden State opened the quarter with a 17-5 run, during which it held Houston to 2-for-8 shooting and forced two turnovers. Rookie swingman Klay Thompson knocked down two 3-pointers during the run, and forward David Lee capped it with a three-point play.
Houston never got closer than six the rest of the way.
- Thompson came off the bench and scored 14 points in 22 minutes. He was 5-for-10 shooting.
“If he continues to play like he’s playing,” coach Mark Jackson said, “he won’t have to worry about (not being selected) to play in the freshman-sophomore game. He’ll be in the big show.”
Thompson has totaled 33 points on 61.9 percent shooting his last two games. Over his last four games he is 12 for 16 from 3-point range.
But perhaps was most impressive thing Sunday was that Thompson did more than spot up, as his three assists and four rebounds suggested. His teammates said it’s a sign of his increased comfort level.
“I’ve felt good these last couple games,” Thompson said. “I’m getting there.”
- The Warriors went 13 of 24 from 3-point range Sunday. Golden State has taken at least 20 3-pointers in 10 straight games. During that span, the Warriors are averaging 24.3 attempts per game and making them at a 39.5 percent clip.
Golden State entered Sunday’s game ranked fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage and sixth in 3-pointers attempted (20.9 per game).
“We are a very good shooting basketball team,” coach Mark Jackson said. “We have shooters that can knock down the long ball. I don’t go into the game thinking, ‘OK, let’s get X amount of shots from three.’ What I do is realize if they are good or bad ones, and I think our guys are taking good ones.”
Jackson said he encourages his players to take open 3-pointers. And he doesn’t mind a good look no matter how it’s created – via good ball movement, off of drive-and-kicks, from inside-outside action.
“I’m a guy who fully understands the weapon that it can be, and I like the way we’ve used it,” Jackson said.
- Forward Dominic McGuire sat out Sunday’s game with a strained left knee. He said he tweaked his knee in the warm-ups before Thursday’s game at Denver. He played anyway but for only four minutes as he said the leg bothered him.
McGuire, who also sat out practice Saturday, said he’s hoping to play Monday against the Suns.
