Warriors score 41 in 1st quarter of big win over Wizards

BOX SCORE

Warriors 120, Wizards 100Player of the game: Warriors shooting guard Monta Ellis had 25 pointson 10-for-16 from the fieldand eight assists to help the Warriors end their five-game road trip with a victory.It was a season-high in points for the Warriors, who finished their trip with a 2-3 record.

Theres no magic about winning in this league, Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. If you put in the effortan inside-outside attack and we defended. We paid attention to the script and this was a much-needed win.Key stretch: The Warriors had been having great difficulty in third quarters on the road trip. Through their first four games, the Warriors had been outscored by an average of 10 points in the third.
That was rectified against Washington. The Warriors outscored the Wizards 24-20 in the period, which may not sound like much, but it gave the Warriors an 89-71 lead heading into the fourth quarter.3-pointers return: Through the first four games of the road trip, the Warriors were awful from 3-point range. They had gone just 13-for-71 from beyond the arc (18.3 percent) against Indiana, Atlanta, Philly and Toronto.But they broke out in a big way against Washington, going 8-for-10 from 3-point land on their way to a 65-51 halftime lead.For the game, the Warriors went 15-for-23 (65 percent) from 3-point range.We havent shot the ball well the whole road trip, said Stephen Curry, who returned and played nine minutes. We just came out and played defense early and then saw a couple of shots go inand our momentum was back.Monster first: After scoring just 28 points in the second half against Toronto on Monday, the Warriors resembled a different team in the first quarter against Washington.The Warriors scored a season-high 41 points in the first quarter, taking complete control of the game. By midway through the second period, the Warriors led the Wizards by 25 points53-28.Curry returns: Warriors guard Stephen Curry played his first extended minutes since straining a tendon in his right foot against Phoenix on Feb. 22.Curry missed the first game of the Warriors road trip on Feb. 28, then played three seconds the following night when coach Mark Jackson used him as a decoy on a last-second play.However, Curry then sat out the next two gamesvs. Philly and Torontobefore returning against the Wizards.Curry didnt start, however, and entered the game midway through the first quarter. He played just five minutes in the first half and nine minutes total, but Curry found a way to score 12 points during that time.