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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Courtney Alexander is helping the Washington Wizards make up for the absence of Mitch Richmond.
Alexander scored a career-high 26 points in a reserve role as
the Wizards beat Golden State 99-94.
Alexander, a first-round pick in last year's draft, was acquired just last month in a deadline trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
"Courtney is a wealth of talent and he is getting better and better with each game. He is gaining confidence and we are getting a better idea of how to use him," coach Leonard Hamilton said.
Richmond, a former Warrior, remained out of the Wizards' lineup
for the fifth game because of a strained right knee.
Alexander started in four games that Richmond missed, until the
Warriors. Coach Hamilton instead started Christian Laettner.
"We thought that we would try to match their size but what
actually ended up being better was our quickness," he said.
Alexander didn't seem to mind.
"I felt really good out there tonight," he said.
Antawn Jamison scored 23 points for the Warriors, who have lost
11 straight overall and nine straight at home. The Wizards kept
Jamison scoreless in the final quarter.
With the game tied at 87, the Wizards went on an 8-3 run to take
a 95-90 lead on Hubert Davis' 3-pointer with 1:47 left. Vonteego
Cummings hit a 3-pointer for the Warriors to close the gap, but
Golden State couldn't get any closer.
Richard Hamilton had 28 points for the Wizards, who snapped a
three-game losing streak. Davis added 21 points and Jahidi White
had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams entered with just 16 victories, tied for the second-worst record in the NBA.
"We looked forward to coming to play tonight, and we thought
this one was one that we could get," Cummings said. "But we came
up short because we couldn't make our shots down the stretch."
The Warriors led by as many as seven points in the third
quarter, but the Wizards opened the fourth with another 3-pointer
by Davis to narrow Golden State's edge to 78-77.
The Wizards went ahead for the first time when David
Vanterpool's jumper made it 79-78 with 9:13 to play. The lead went
back and forth the rest of the way.
The Warriors squandered an 11-point lead in the first quarter
but the Wizards couldn't manage to get the lead. Golden State held
a 48-46 lead at the half.
The Warriors took a 19-8 lead in the first quarter on Jamison's
dunk with 5:30 to go. The Wizards chipped away at the lead,
narrowing the gap to 19-15 on Hamilton's jumper, then tied it at 22
on Davis' 3-pointer with just 25 seconds left.
The Warriors managed to extend their lead to 37-31 on Erick
Dampier's turnaround jumper with 5:27 left before the half, but the
Wizards kept up the pressure and tied it at 46 on Alexander's
3-pointer with 1:08 left.
Adam Keefe's shot at the buzzer gave the Warriors their halftime
edge.
Game notes
It was the first of two meetings between the teams. They play again March 29 at the MCI Center in Washington. ... Warriors
guard Bob Sura has a strained lower back and did not play Wednesday. ... Keefe and his wife Kristin are the proud parents of James Thomas Keefe, born early Monday. ... The Warriors lost 12 in a row from Nov. 22, 1999 to Jan. 15, 2000.
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NBA Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
RECAPS
San Antonio 97
Boston 77
Indiana 96
Orlando 95
Charlotte 111
Toronto 95
Miami 109
Chicago 81
Milwaukee 107
LA Lakers 100
Minnesota 109
Dallas 97
Washington 99
Golden State 94
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