BRANDAN WRIGHT one of the fastest rising stars in the basketball scene.
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Notes
Two days after having an opponent make a statement to them, the Warriors have a statement to make to their opponent Friday night. Having won two of three on what was supposed to be a tough road trip, the Warriors return home to face the club they have identified as the team to beat in order to make the Western Conference playoffs this year. That team: New Orleans. If you presume the Mavericks, Suns and Spurs will ease into the postseason, and the Jazz, Rockets and Lakers will find a way to sneak in behind them, that would leave two playoff berths unclaimed. The Nuggets would seem to have the most potential of the other contenders, meaning it could very well come down to the Hornets and Warriors for the final spot. Thus: the importance of the New Orleans-Golden State season series, which tips off Friday in Oakland. Even with their inordinate number of injuries, the Hornets finished just three games behind the Warriors last season. Neither team was able to win on its opponent's home court when Golden State won last year's season series 2-1. If that trend continues this year, it's up to the Warriors to hold serve on Friday. Here's what makes it doubly important: The final two matchups of the three-game season series will be in New Orleans, with the record in the three games being the first playoff tie-breaker. MAVERICKS 121, WARRIORS 99: Like a playoff series in which they won the first two games, the Warriors walked away from Wednesday's loss to the Mavericks feeling like a winner. That's because they were winners if you take the just-completed, three-game road trip as a whole. The Warriors went to Denver, Houston and Dallas recognizing that one win would be nice. They got two — at Denver and Houston — and that made the flight home early Thursday morning a lot more enjoyable than the final score at Dallas would indicate. While the revenge-minded Mavericks treated Wednesday's contest like a playoff game, the Warriors didn't have to. There's no need for them to replay something they have no interest in changing. Even at that, Golden State found itself down four and in possession of the ball in the first minute of the fourth quarter. When Mickael Pietrus lined up a three-point attempt, tension reached its maximum thickness at the American Airlines Center. But Pietrus missed his shot and the Warriors went 3:15 without scoring, allowing the Mavericks to run off to a 15-point lead and start the celebration. Stephen Jackson led the Warriors with 25 points. NOTES, QUOTES —The Mavericks took a 2-0 lead over the Warriors in their season series with Wednesday's home win. Dallas also won 120-115 in Oakland in November. Before the November matchup, the Warriors had won six of their previous seven regular season meetings with the Mavericks, and 10 of 13 overall if you count last year's playoffs. The Warriors hadn't lost more than one game in its season series with the Mavericks since the 2004-05 season. —The Warriors play four of their next five games at home, where their record (8-6) is worse than their road mark (11-8). —The NBA announced Wednesday that the Warriors' Don Nelson received consideration for its Western Conference Coach of the Month honors. Portland's Nate McMillan won the award. The Warriors went 11-6 in December. The Mavericks' Avery Johnson and Hornets' Byron Scott also were considered. Johnson disclosed before the game that Warriors star Baron Davis has the second-best efficiency rating in the league behind LeBron James in the Mavericks' scoring system. Davis (seventh among guards) is one of two Warriors who rate in the top 10 at their position in the most recent All-Star ballot tabulations. Andris Biedrins is ninth among centers. QUOTE TO NOTE: "A lot of people probably expected me and B.D. (Baron Davis) to get kicked out once they got (the lead) up to 20. I know everybody was waiting for it. We're not giving anybody that this year." — Warriors F Stephen Jackson, on his changed attitude this season. ROSTER REPORT ROTATION: Starters — Point guard Baron Davis, Shooting guard Monta Ellis, Small forward Mickael Pietrus, Power forward Stephen Jackson, Center Al Harrington. Bench — Guard Kelenna Azubuike, Guard Marco Belinelli, Forward Matt Barnes, Forward Brandan Wright, Center Andris Biedrins, Center DJ Mbenga, Center Patrick O'Bryant. PLAYER NOTES: —G Baron Davis missed his first five shots and first two free throws in one of his worst performances of the season in Wednesday's loss at Dallas. He did not make a two-point field goal all night (he was 2-for-6 on three-pointers), the first time that's happened this season. —F Stephen Jackson led the Warriors with 25 points, the seventh time in the last nine games he's scored 20 or more. —Al Harrington went 10-for-19 on three-pointers and 20-for-42 overall on the Warriors three-game road trip. —Reserve G Marco Belinelli saw his first action since Dec. 19 at Minnesota and hit one of his two shots. The points were the first round draft pick's first points since Dec. 16 at Detroit.
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