Dorell Wright Scores 24 In Win Over Clippers, But Coach Keith Smart Wants Him To Do More

Dorell Wright had a team hight 24 points last night in the win over the Los Angeles Clippers, with a very efficient 9 of 12 shooting.

But Coach Smart, reports Marcus Thompson, wants Wright to do more on the offensive end besides take open jumpers. Wright seems willing:

Smart said he wants Wright to do even more, including post-up and pass out of the post. Wright said he knows it’s in his game. It’s just a matter of dusting off the cob webs, since he hasn’t used other parts of his game in so long.

WRIGHT: “I’m very comfortable. … I’m loving it. I’m glad I’m not second-guessing myself like I used to. It’s not that I don’t have it, I’ve just got to remember how to do it. It’s been a long time.”

With that said, will Dorell Wright step in and play some point guard in Stephen Curry’s one game absence? If Wright can quickly shed off those cob webs of distributing and playmaking, this Warriors team will begin looking a lot better and more talented than it was last season.

Jeremy Lin Turns Rookie Hazing Into Profit

Jeremy Lin sat down last night with fans to talk about his transition into an NBA player, many stories that include follies such as answering a phone call from Yao Ming.  As part of Asian Heritage Night, Lin participated in a Q/A session with Bob Fitzgerald about his transition into NBA life, his basketball influences, and also the role of community. But Lin also mentions a particular incidence where Charlie Bell asks him to run out to pick up some Starbucks.  Upon returning, Bell tips him a hundred dollars for his services, which later that night Lin transforms into 2100 dollars through gambling. 

YOW (not Yao)!

Here at SB Nation Bay Area, we do not promote underage gambling.  But, apparently Jeremy Lin is someone to go to for gambling tips for those that of the legal age.

Via Channel APA, here is a clip of last night's Q/A with Jeremy Lin:

Stephen Curry Out At Least One Game

And the injury bug — or locust invasion, really — begins. ESPN.com reports that Curry will miss at minimum one game, tomorrow night versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

Before re-injuring his ankle last night during the third quarter, Stephen Curry had 16 points and 6 assists on 7-9 shooting. Pretty spectacular numbers in 27 minutes of action. With ongoing anxiety of the back-up point guard position, Monta Ellis did well distributing the ball with 11 assists. We can most likely expect Reggie Williams to play heavy minutes in Curry’s absence as well.

But as the player with most "natural" point guard skills, his skills will definitely be missed against the World Champions.

For a painful reminder (painful in so many ways), here is the video where Curry rolls his ankle (via SLAMonline.com):

Warriors Beat Clippers, But Stephen Curry Re-Injures His Ankle

Marcus Thompson of Inside Bay Area reports.

At the 6:03 mark, Gordon took Curry across a Griffin screen, then zipped back the other way. Curry stepped over Griffin’s foot, but before he could shift back the other direction, his right ankle rolled over.

He immediately went down and stayed there for a few minutes. Eventually, he got up and limped to the locker room under his own power. He did not return.

It ruined what was otherwise a pleasant night for the Golden State Warriors, who beat the Los Angeles Clippers with relative ease 109-91. Monta Ellis’s shot wasn’t falling like it was on Wednesday as he put up only 15 points, but he made up for it by facilitating the ball and handing out 11 assists. Dorrell Wright added 24 points and hit six treys, Curry added 16 points and 6 assists before his injury, David Lee compiled another double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Rodney Carney compiled 12 points off the bench.

Eric Gordon led the Clippers with 19 points (but needed 17 shots) and second year rookie sensation Blake Griffin put up 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Clippers only shot 38.6% from the field to the Warriors 53%. Golden State broke things open in the third quarter, when they outscored L.A. 32-13.

But the big question is Curry, and whether he’ll be back sooner rather than later.

First Quarter Ends, Warriors Rack Up Nine Turnovers

Reading tweets from local sports writers provides a somewhat disastrous scene of a potential Warriors unravelling that we are all familiar to. For those that don’t have access to the game, here are some “visuals”:

gswscribe(Marcus Thompson): Biedrins just schooled Kaman in the post. 7-0 Warriors

Rusty_SFChron (Rusty Simmons): (1st Q, 7:58) Warriors 13, Clippers 3. Clippers shooting 14.3 percent from the floor and have two turnovers and zero rebounds.

gswscribe Marcus Thompson: Blake Griffin is starting to impose his will

gswscribe (Marcus Thompson): Curry stripped by Gordon, leads to Baron lay-up. Game tied at 20, 3:29 left in 1st

gswscribe (Marcus Thompson): End of 1st: Warriors’ once 10-point lead now a 28-27 deficit. Ellis 4 ast, 1-3 FGs, D. Wright 8 and 3. LAC – Gordon 9. Blake 7 and 5

Rusty_SFChron (Rusty Simmons): (End of 1st) Clippers 28, Warriors 27. DWright 8 pts, 3 reb; Eric Gordon 9 pts, “Monster” Griffin 7 pts, 5 reb. Clips up to 44 percent

Uh oh. I thought the Warriors were “brand new”?

Al Harrington: Monta Ellis Will Win The Scoring Title

It’s hard to think in a league with LeBron James and Kevin Durant that there will ever be that much competition for the scoring crown. Both of them have shown no let-up in their scoring game, and will always be the likeliest culprits to finish the season at the top of the charts.

However, after Monta Ellis exploded for 46 on the Rockets on opening night, one former Warrior teammate believes the Mississippi Bullet can be the best scorer in the league this season. Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports with the story.

Told Wednesday night that Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis(notes) had already amassed 27 points against the Houston Rockets by halftime, Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington(notes) made a somewhat bold proclamation:

“Let me go on record as saying that Monta Ellis is going to lead the NBA in scoring.”

…

Harrington, a former Warrior, thinks Ellis’ scoring will improve because new coach Keith Smart will give him more freedom than his predecessor, Don Nelson, did. Ellis averaged 25.2 points under Nelson last season and 27 points in 10 games that Smart coached. Thunder forward Kevin Durant averaged an NBA-best 30.1 points a game last season.

Monta will go up against Eric Gordon today—Gordon’s a good shooter himself, but he’s also been underrated for his on-the-ball defense. Can Ellis continue to replicate his madman pace from the season opener against a guy coming off a successful summer with Team USA?

Los Angeles Clippers @ Golden State Warriors, 7:30 PM

In surprising fashion, the Warriors sit atop the NBA's Pacific Division for once, albeit sharing the that number one spot with three other teams. 

The Warriors celebrate "Asian Heritage Night" by taking on their Pacific Division counterparts in the Los Angeles Clippers, "Warriors-South" as Atma Brother #1 of Golden State of Mind (the Warriors would be "Clippers-North"). Coming off a Don Nelson-like victory over the Houston Rockets, 132-128, looks like Coach Keith Smart isn't ready to ditch what these Warriors know best: Scoring. Looks like the Warriors former "defensive coordinator," who emphasized improving defense this preseason, also forgot to put that into the game plan against the Rockets.  

The Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry backcourt combo accounted for 71 of the Warriors 132 points and perhaps squashed any questions of whether they could co-exist.  In spite of injuring his ankle midway through the third quarter, Curry finished out the quarter with 12 points and 4 assists as Ellis took a breather.

The big off-season acquisition in David Lee also proved its worth as he provided the rebounding as well as playmaking abilities to the tune of 17 points, 15 boards, and 6 assists. He has fans over at Golden State of Mind calling him the best big man the Warriors have had since Chris Webber based off all around skills. 

But the Warriors are going to need better defense from David Lee and Andris Biedrins than they provided on Wednesday night when Luis Scola exploded for 36 points. The Warriors face Blake Griffin tonight, whose debut filled with amazing athleticism and thunderous highlight dunks has quickly made the Clippers the media darlings of Los Angeles.

Kobe who? 

Griffin's displayed why he was a number one pick and a favorite for the Rookie of the Year award as he showed an impressive repertoire of skills on the offensive end.  If there was someone that matched David Lee's ability to get second chance put backs, it would be Blake Griffin.  With that said, the Warriors will need to be a body on him on defensive as he's already been known to make posters of people.

The Warriors have had success against the Clippers and Stephen Curry notched his first triple double of his career last season at the Oracle against them. Curry's ankle may still be bothering him, but Smart says that he will play tonight.

There are no notable injuries on the Clippers.  

Lastly, tonight is "Asian Heritage Night" and we can expect fans to come out in droves to see him. But will we just see him courtside wearing a fancy suit rather than a Warriors uniform? After getting his first "Did Not Play-Coaches Decision," the only non-injured Warrior not suited up, it is clear that Lin isn't ready to play major minutes. But what happens when it is "Asian Heritage Night" and there is a close game? Will Smart have to put Jeremy Lin in for the fans?