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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Antawn Jamison isn't terribly impressed
by the Golden State Warriors' longest winning streak of the season
-- and with good reason.
Jamison hit two free throws with 10.4 seconds left and finished
with 31 points to lead six Warriors in double figures as Golden
State beat the Boston Celtics 94-91 Sunday night.
Vonteego Cummings scored 12 of his 13 points in the fourth
quarter and hit two free throws with three seconds left as the
Warriors won consecutive games for just the second time this season
and moved out of last place in the Pacific Division.
"Two games is still nothing," Jamison said. "I'm trying to
get four or five. You've got to set higher goals than that for
yourselves. It was good to hold on for this one, but we've got to
keep working."
Still, consecutive victories over the Phoenix Suns and an
improved Celtics squad are encouraging for the Warriors, who are
surviving with seven players on the injured list or otherwise
unable to play.
Jamison's late free throws gave Golden State a 92-88 lead, but
Boston's Paul Pierce hit a 3-pointer with 3.7 seconds left.
Cummings then was fouled and hit both shots, and Antoine Walker
airballed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Golden State took the lead for good with 7½ minutes left and
held on despite being limited to an eight-man rotation. Mookie
Blaylock had 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the
Warriors, while Bob Sura had 13 points, eight assists and seven
rebounds.
"Last year, we might have given this game away," said
Blaylock, the subject of numerous trade rumors. "We're a different
team now. The results aren't showing it all the time, but we're so
much tougher, and it's only getting better."
Jamison's free throws in the closing seconds were his only
points in the fourth quarter. Marc Jackson had six of his 13 points
in the fourth, including four consecutive free throws.
Pierce had 11 rebounds and scored 26 of his 28 points after
halftime, while Walker had 23 points for the Celtics, who ended
their four-game road trip with two victories.
Despite the defeat, the Celtics gave a strong effort and nearly
stole the game despite combined 16-for-41 shooting by Pierce and
Walker.
"The opportunity was there for us," Pierce said. "I missed
about five or six layups, and that's the ballgame -- and that
hurts."
Boston has a 3-4 record -- matching its best stretch of the
season -- since Jim O'Brien replaced Rick Pitino as coach two weeks
ago.
"That's a very difficult loss, because we put ourselves in a
position to win because of our defense," O'Brien said. "We missed
tough shots down the stretch, some point-blank shots, but our
defense in the second half was outstanding."
In a game matching two teams that are 25 combined games below
.500, the injury-ravaged Warriors shot just 40 percent and made 23
turnovers -- eight by Jamison -- but followed up the 103-95
victory Friday at Phoenix, which ended a six-game losing streak, with
their first home victory since Dec. 29.
Golden State hit a season-high 11 3-pointers -- none in the
fourth quarter -- to sweep the season series with Boston and beat
the Celtics for the fifth consecutive time in Oakland.
The Warriors already had six players out of the lineup before
Vinny Del Negro was kept out with bone spurs in his left ankle
Sunday. That left Golden State with nine players in uniform -- one
more than the NBA minimum -- and Adam Keefe didn't play.
But with big minutes from Jamison (45), Blaylock (41) and Sura
(36), the Warriors hung on.
Game notes
Jamison crashed to the ground in pain after reaching for a rebound in the final seconds of the first half, but he hobbled off the
court and returned in the second half. ... Boston's Kenny Anderson missed his fifth consecutive game with a sprained ankle.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 87
New York 74
Washington 94
Atlanta 90
Toronto 110
Philadelphia 106
Utah 109
Phoenix 98
Minnesota 96
Vancouver 94
Miami 103
LA Lakers 92
Milwaukee 102
Detroit 98
Golden State 94
Boston 91
Seattle 109
Sacramento 107
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Antoine Walker Official Site
Antawn Jamison Official Site
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