Anthony Morrow and Monta Ellis totaled 24
points apiece, and the Golden State Warriors earned their first win of the
season in a 113-105 final against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Morrow was an efficient 10-of-12 from the floor and hit all four of his three-
point attempts while Ellis was 10-of-23 shooting and handed out a game-high 12
assists.
Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette each added 20 points for the Warriors, who
moved to 1-2 on the young season.
Rudy Gay posted 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds for
the Grizzlies, who lost their third in a row and are now 1-4 this season.
Embattled guard Allen Iverson came off the bench for the second time in as
many games since his season debut, logging 27 1/2 minutes and scoring 18
points to go with seven assists.
Zach Randolph had 16 points and 10 boards and Marc Gasol posted 12 and 14 as
Memphis moved to 0-3 on a five-game road trip. O.J. Mayo contributed 14 points
in a losing effort.
"We need practice time first of all. That's first and foremost, to get back to
our principles," said Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins. "We haven't had a
lot of practices since we left home because of the way the season broke for
us."
Memphis pulled ahead by 10, 29-19, after the opening 12 minutes. Midway
through the second, a tip-in by Morrow had the Warriors back within a single
possession at 41-38. That started a 21-12 run that yielded a four-point lead
on a Maggette dunk inside the final minute before the Grizz cut it to 57-56 at
the break.
A furious pace was set to open the second half as both sides piled up the
points -- none more than Morrow, who ended with 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting
and knocked down a trio of three-pointers. The effort allowed Golden State a
10-point lead, 90-80, heading to the final stanza.
"Everybody felt like we were going to get a win. I think we got back to
Warriors basketball, just run and gun basketball, scrambling on defense and I
think we did a good job of that," said Morrow.
Consecutive field goals from Ellis and a Andris Biedrins slam stretched the
margin to 101-86 at the eight-minute mark of the fourth and the hosts cruised
to victory from there.
Game Notes
Memphis will finish its trip with back-to-back visits to LA's Staples Center,
facing both the Lakers and Clippers...The Warriors will finish a quick two-
game homestand against the LA Clippers on Friday...Memphis swept the three-
game season series between the two clubs last season. Previous to that, Golden
State had taken seven straight over the Grizz...The Warriors' Stephen Curry
had seven points, nine assists and five rebounds...Iverson passed the 24,000-
point mark for his career.
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