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The Warriors ride into the All Star break in style behind a huge game from Monta Ellis and another solid defensive performance.

Monta was the hero in this one, as he put the team on his back and hit big shot after big shot in the second half. What was remarkable was that all his shots felt so needed in order for the team to keep pace. Definitely his best game in weeks, and something that should give him a good feeling while he’s fishing in Mississippi during the break.

Curry, on the other hand, had his worst game in a while, as persistent foul trouble kept him chained to the bench. And when he was on the court, his shot wasn’t falling — until his huge bucket in the closing minute to keep it a two possession game. So credit him for keeping his head in the game despite his struggles.

Dorell Wright played the sort of all-around game that has become the norm for him, with 22 points and 5 rebounds. And Reggie Williams gave the team a great offensive spark off the bench — he’s been exactly what they need on that front since he got off his slide back in January.

The bigs were just OK, though Andris’ rebounding in the fourth deserves special mention. There was one stretch where it seemed like he was grabbing every defensive board (not insignificant when offensive rebounding/putback machine Jefferson is on the opposing team). Slightly disappointing night for Lee though, as his rebounds were down for a second game in a row and he only managed 13. Brandon Wright continues to re-establish his trade value and scored 6 points. and Udoh had another largely stat-free line but continues to be a factor on defense.

And while scoring contributions off the bench outside of Reggie’s were fairly light, every single bench player was a positive on the +/-. If they can keep up that sort of consistency, it gives the team a chance to rest some of the starters (and spell Curry when he gets into foul trouble) — and that’s going to be key down the stretch.

So all-in-all another really positive win, and a great one to take into the All Star break (their 26 wins matches the win total from last year). The Warriors took care of business in these final games before the break, and by playing their best basketball of the season they give us hope that a late-season run is a legitimate possibility. We’ll know soon enough once they head back out on the road in the coming weeks, but for now we can at least savor the fact that this team is, unequivocally, improving.