RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The Golden State Warriors snapped their
11-game losing streak so gracelessly that Antawn Jamison couldn't
even enjoy it.
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| Jamison |
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| Blaylock |
Jamison scored 34 points and Mookie Blaylock capped his triple-double by hitting the clinching jumper with 30 seconds left as the Warriors won for just the third time in 27 games, beating the Detroit Pistons 103-95 on Saturday night.
Blaylock had 13 points, 12 assists and 13 rebounds as the
injury-riddled Warriors the league's second-worst team at 17-52 won for just the second time since the All-Star break.
But a team with as many problems as the Warriors doesn't do
anything easily. After playing solid basketball for three quarters,
the Warriors did their best to collapse in the fourth. They shot
4-of-22, missing several layups, and scored just 11 points.
"It's always good to get a win, especially the way we've been
struggling, but we still put ourselves in a position where we
almost lost the game," said Jamison, who scored just one point in
the fourth. "It's good to have a 'W' behind you, but it's still
sad the way we ended that fourth quarter."
The Warriors' dismal late-game execution has been obvious all
season, but in the Pistons, they found an opponent just as sloppy.
Detroit cranked up its defense in the fourth quarter, but shot
4-of-20 and couldn't get a field goal in the final 4:50.
Corliss Williamson had 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Jerry Stackhouse had 28 points on 8-of-26 shooting and one rebound in 43 minutes as Detroit lost its fourth straight in humiliating
fashion.
"You can go down the list and talk about the things that we didn't do well, and still we were right there and had a chance to beat them," Stackhouse said.
Golden State's six injured regulars in street clothes led the
cheers in the final minutes as the Warriors held on. The Pistons'
eight-game winning streak against the Warriors was snapped.
Rookie Chris Porter had 18 points as Golden State won for the
first time in March and snapped a nine-game home losing streak.
Blaylock got his eighth career triple-double the first for a
Golden State player since Latrell Sprewell did it on March 28, 1997.
"Tonight was a good learning situation," Blaylock said. "As a
team, I'm very proud that we overcame their little run and won the
game."
The Pistons played without starting center Ben Wallace, the
NBA's third-leading rebounder, who left the team to attend his
grandmother's funeral. Detroit also lost forward Michael Curry for
the season after he dislocated his thumb during practice Friday.
"It's hard to come up with an answer for this one," said Joe Smith, who went 1-for-8. "It's a game coming in that we felt we should come out with a win."
The Warriors led comfortably at halftime and at the end of the
third quarter, eliciting surprised standing ovations from an
Oakland Arena crowd that hadn't seen Golden State win since Feb. 7.
Then the Warriors went scoreless in the first 4{ minutes of the
fourth, allowing Detroit to pull within 92-87.
Stackhouse scored five points to pull Detroit within 98-95 with
1:42 left, but Corie Blount hit a jumper and Adonal Foyle, who had
five blocked shots, rejected Mateen Cleaves' layup attempt before
Blaylock's 15-footer.
Though they dressed just nine players, Golden State matched up well against Detroit, particularly in Wallace's absence.
"I think it was harder for us to play them because their
strengths run at our weakness, especially with Ben Wallace not
here," Detroit coach George Irvine said. "They were just much
more physical than we are."
Foyle and Erick Dampier had strong games in the middle, and
Stackhouse's poor shooting night hamstrung the Pistons' offense.
Foyle had nine points and a career-high 17 rebounds, while Blount
scored 10 of his 12 points after halftime.
Game notes The teams meet again in Auburn Hills on April 1. ... Smith
missed a wide-open dunk with 9:15 to play, and the Golden State
fans cheered and laughed intensely. They've disliked Smith, who the
Warriors selected with the first overall pick in the 1995 draft,
since he forced a trade from Golden State in 1998. ... The Pistons
fell to 0-3 on a four-game road trip that concludes Tuesday against
the Clippers. ... During the timeout following Blaylock's clinching
jumper, Oakland Arena's overhead scoreboard went blank.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 117 Denver 105
Dallas 103 Charlotte 100
Utah 119 Washington 93
Seattle 93 Houston 90
Golden State 103 Detroit 95
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