(My Sportsbook) - The
Golden State Warriors hope to close out a four-game homestand in winning fashion on Tuesday when they welcome the
Los Angeles Clippers to ORACLE Arena.
The Warriors fell to 2-1 on the residency Sunday after a horrible defensive performance against the Phoenix Suns. Jason Richardson scored 31 points against his former team in that one, and the Suns used accurate shooting to pick up a 154-130 blowout win over Golden State.
Richardson was 11-of-15 from the field for the Suns, who shot 62.1 percent on the way to their second straight win following a six-game slide. Another ex- Warrior, Matt Barnes, added 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds for Phoenix, which attained the highest point total in the NBA this season.
Monta Ellis had 26 points for the Warriors, who, at 23-43, were officially eliminated from postseason contention. Corey Maggette added 21 points for Golden State, which had won its previous two games and is now 17-16 as the host.
Golden State's Stephen Jackson had 10 points and nine assists before picking up his second technical foul late in the third quarter. The two technicals gave Jackson 16 on the season, resulting in an automatic one-game suspension, meaning that swingman will not be available for Don Nelson's club tonight.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off a thrilling 107-105 win over New Jersey in Hollywood on Sunday when Steve Novak drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to put LA over the top.
Novak finished with a team-high 21 points, while Al Thornton and Baron Davis each had 20 for the Clippers, who snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Eric Gordon had 17 points, while Chris Kaman had 10 points and eight rebounds for Los Angeles.
Davis, who missed the Clippers' last trip to Oakland on January 25 with a bruised tailbone, will play his first game in Oracle Arena since opting out of the final year of his contract with the Warriors last offseason to sign a five-year, $65 million dollar contact with LA.
The Clips, who are 7-24 on the road, snapped a five-game skid to the Warriors with a 118-105 win in Los Angeles on February 23.
