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Tuesday, Apr. 11 10:30pm ET
New owner, but same old Grizzlies | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- At least these Golden State Warriors know they won't be the worst team in franchise history. Getting 28 points from Larry Hughes and 25 points apiece from Jason Caffey and Mark Davis, the Warriors beat the newly purchased Vancouver Grizzlies 109-97 Tuesday night. Golden State (19-59), which registered consecutive wins for the first time since late February, ensured it won't exceed the club record for losses in a season (63), though the Warriors could match the mark by dropping their final four games. Golden State lost 63 games in 1964-65 and again in 1997-98. "We don't want to be the worst team in the league and we don't want to have the worst record in franchise history," said Davis, who had a season-high in points and was two points shy of his career high in his third start for injured Donyell Marshall. "I don't want to be a loser." Neither does Michael Heisley, whose purchase of the Grizzlies was approved unanimously earlier in the day by the NBA's Board of Governors. "I could not be happier to be approved as the owner of the Grizzlies," Heisley said. "Basketball is the greatest sport in the greatest league in the world and I am honored to join the esteemed ranks of NBA owners." Heisley said he would have no immediate comment on the futures of coach Lionel Hollins and general manager Stu Jackson. Hollins said news of the team's sale didn't have a bearing on the game. "We all knew it was going to happen eventually. It didn't change anything," Hollins said. Adonal Foyle added 15 points for the injury-depleted Warriors, who snapped an 11-game losing streak with Sunday night's 117-103 win over Denver. "We hung in there. We took care of the ball, managed the clock and played to the end," Hughes said. "I don't worry about how many games we've won or lost right now. It's about going out and playing." Michael Dickerson scored 24 points to lead Vancouver, which kept it close until Golden State pulled away at the end, outscoring the Grizzlies 31-20 in the fourth quarter. Shareef Abdur-Rahim added 23 points and had 13 rebounds and Othella Harrington had 14 points. Down by one at the break, Golden State put together a 10-0 burst -- including eight straight points by Hughes -- to move ahead 64-60 midway through the third quarter. The Warriors took a 78-77 lead into the final period. Golden State took control from there, starting the fourth with a 14-2 run that gave the Warriors a 92-79 lead, the first double-digit lead of the night. Caffey had six of his points in the burst and Davis punctuated it with a steal and putback followed by a reverse two-handed dunk off a lob pass from Mookie Blaylock. Abdur-Rahim converted a three-point play but it wasn't enough to break up the Warriors' momentum. Tony Farmer and Davis each finished fast breaks with layups and Hughes hit a 17-foot jumper to put Golden State up by 14 with 5:40 left. The Grizzlies didn't threaten after that. "Everything we did in the first three quarters, we stopped doing in the fourth. I can't tell you why," Abdur-Rahim said. Dickerson had 17 points in the first half when the Grizzlies took a 54-53 lead. Vancouver went in front 48-41 after Abdur-Rahim's dunk off a feed from Bibby and Obinna Ekezie's 4-foot jumper. But the Warriors outscored Vancouver 12-6 over the last 3:57 of the period, pulling back within a point on a pair of free throws by Hughes. Game notesMarshall, who hasn't played since aggravating a knee injury Friday against Utah, will miss the rest of the season. ... Abdur-Rahim has scored in double figures in 74 of 77 games this season. He added 13 rebounds for his 37th double-double. ... Foyle had four blocks, the 11th time this season he's had at least that many. ... Davis matched a career high by pulling down 12 rebounds. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Vancouver Clubhouse Golden State Clubhouse RECAPS San Antonio 98 Sacramento 92
Golden State 109
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