When Monta Ellis gets hot and the shots start falling fast, his Golden State teammates know exactly what to do.
“Get out of his way,” said Warriors forward David Lee, “or set him a screen.”
Ellis found his shooting stroke in the second half, making a career-high six 3-pointers, to finish with 24 points, and backcourt mate Stephen Curry added 23 points, sending Golden State to a 95-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Ellis made all 5 of his 3-point attempts and scored 17 in the third quarter as the Warriors won for the second time in eight games. He and Curry combined for 25 of Golden State’s 29 points in the third and the duo teamed for 47 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists.
“I’m fortunate to be coaching a team that has two players in the backcourt that can shoot the ball from deep, put it on the floor, get to the mid-area and also get to the rim,” Warriors coach Keith Smart said. “That doesn’t happen that often.”
Lee added 14 points and 14 rebounds as Golden State improved to 2-4 on a seven-game road trip.
Baron Davis came off the bench and scored 19 in his second home game for the Cavs, who were powerless to stop Ellis once he warmed up from outside.
Sports
Golden State’s backcourt was too much for Cleveland’s guards to handle. When the Cavs did prevent Ellis from getting off a shot, the Warriors simply swung the ball to Curry, who has scored more than 20 points in five of his past six games.
Held to 4 points in the first half, Ellis came out firing in the third.
He made his five 3s from a variety of spots—his other bucket in the period was a layup—as the Warriors, who trailed by 12 in the first quarter, opened a 76-65 lead entering the fourth. It didn’t matter if the Cavs were up in his face, Ellis was in one of those shooter’s zones when the basket seems a mile wide.
Ellis dropped four 3s in the final 4:45 and scored Golden State’s last 14 points of the third.
“I was just feeling it,” said Ellis, who scored 41 in a tough loss at Boston last week. “I just had the confidence to knock them down.”
