Monta lifts Warriors over Rockets, 106-97

BOX SCORE
Warriors 106, Rockets 97

Player of the game: Monta Ellis finished with 33 pointson 13-for-23 shootingand seven assists.Key category: For the second straight game, the Warriors used the 3-point shot to help get them a win. The Warriors went 13-for-24 from 3-point range against Houston, which both helped them establish a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter and then hold off Houston for the win.The Warriors went 13-for-25 from 3-point range in Thursdays victory over the Denver Nuggets.Curry-Ellis: Warriors coach Mark Jackson was asked whether or not Stephen Curry and Ellis were playing their best basketball together of the season.Curry had 14 points and five assists.Theyre a heck of a tandem, Jackson said. And I think what theyre doing right now is playing off one another. Theyre realizing who has the hot hand. At all times theyve been unselfish. From Day 1 those guys looked to make plays for the other, almost too much. Theyre a talented tandem and when theyre clicking theyre as good as it gets in this league.Thompson again: Warriors rookie shooting guard Klay Thompson is beginning to become more and more of a factor. He followed up his career-high 19-point game against Denver on Thursday with another solid outing against the Rockets.Thompson had 14 points and once again was feeling it from beyond the 3-point line. Thompsons two 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter helped lift the Warriors to a 93-79 lead, which was their biggest of the game to that point.Thompson came into Sunday nights game having connected on eight of his past 10 3-point attempts, and he went 4-for-6 against Houston. Thompson came into the game shooting 47.7 percent from 3-point range, good for fifth in the league.Of course, Thompson didnt make the Rising Stars game, the contest involving rookies and second-year players at All-Star Weekend.The good news is that if he continues to play like hes playing and continues to work hard, hes going to be in the big show, Jackson said of the NBA All-Star game. Hes not going to have to worry about freshman-sophomore games. Hes a great kid who works his tail off and is never satisfied.

Turnovers galore: Neither team was particularly crisp in the first half, combining for 25 turnovers. The Warriors had 12 of those turnovers, with David Lee committing four.The Rockets had 13 turnovers, with Kevin Martin also committing four.On the positive side for the Warriors, they held Houston to just 15 second-quarter points, which equaled a season-low for points in a second quarter by an opponent.The Warriors held the Lakers to just 15 points in the second quarter of a Jan. 6 loss in Los Angeles.No McGuire: The Warriors were without forward Dominic McGuire, who was experiencing left knee soreness. McGuire, who missed practice on Saturday, had hoped to play against Houston, but decided about an hour before the game he couldnt go.Block party: The Warriors had 14 blocks in Thursdays victory over the Denver Nuggets. It was the most blocks in a game by the Warriors since Nov. 29, 2005, when Golden State blocked 15 shots against Indiana.Sellout crowd: The game drew 19,596, marking the seventh sellout this season for the Warriors at Oracle.