Mar 13, 2008

Davis wins battle with Ford in Warriors' win

By GREG BEACHAM / Associated Press

OAKLAND - Monta Ellis scored 33 points and Baron Davis had 23 points and 15 assists in the Golden State Warriors' seventh victory in eight games, 117-106 over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

Stephen Jackson added 19 points for the Warriors, who overcame several awkward matchups with Toronto's larger lineup to beat the Raptors for the fourth straight time in Oakland. Golden State took an early 20-point lead before falling behind in the fourth quarter, but Davis and Ellis confidently led a comeback for the Warriors' third straight win.

T.J. Ford scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter for the Raptors, who lost for the sixth time in eight games. Anthony Parker added 22 points for Toronto, which lost to the Lakers one night earlier to open a five-game West Coast road trip.

Toronto played its seventh straight game without leading scorer Chris Bosh, who hopes to return from his sore right knee during the trip.

Size wasn't the Raptors' problem, as Andrea Bargnani, Rasho Nesterovic and Kris Humphries all took turns scoring easily in the paint against Golden State's small-ball lineup. But the smaller, quicker Warriors repeatedly outran Toronto, with Davis getting 10 points and six assists in the fourth quarter alone while dueling with Ford.

Despite their recent struggles, the Raptors (34-30) are solidly in fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. If the Raptors had the same record in the West, they would be 6 1/2 games behind Golden State in 10th place, out of the playoff race.

Golden State jumped to a 37-17 lead on Mickael Pietrus' dunk to open the second quarter, but Toronto stayed close largely thanks to Parker, who bested defense from both Davis and Ellis. The Warriors also missed 12 of their first 13 3-pointers before Jackson hit back-to-back shots in the third quarter.

Toronto tied it midway through the fourth with a 15-5 run, then took its first lead since the opening minute on Ford's floating layup with 6:40 to play. Davis then sparked the Warriors' decisive rally, putting them back ahead 101-96 with a jumper and two assists in the next 90 seconds.

He added the Warriors' final seven points as they held off Ford, who had the ball on almost every possession in the final six minutes.



Notes: Warriors F Chris Webber still isn't ready to return from his left knee injury after a week of rehabilitation in Atlanta. Webber has missed Golden State's last five games, and coach Don Nelson has no idea when he'll return - or if he'll be able to get in shape quickly enough to make the Warriors' playoff roster. ... Pietrus started and scored 14 points before fouling out with 3:35 to play.