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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.

• Smell Blood. Utah has been struggling, losers of 4 straight at home and still winless under their legend-replacing new coach. Kirilenko is expected to miss the game with an ankle injury, and Rajah Bell is also ailing. If they Warriors have a killer instinct, it needs to be on display tonight.
• Do it on the Road. It’s no secret that the Warriors have been a much better home than road team this year. They haven’t won on the road since the January 5th game in New Orleans (granted, they’ve only played 3 road games since then), so this is the sort of road game the Warriors need to win to get back on track away from Oracle and take the next step toward being competitive.
• Feel the Joementum. The Warriors won’t get to Joe Lacob’s hopeful prediction of .500 by the All Star break, but they can certainly make him happy by getting to the break on an upswing. A loss and it’s the same ol’ Warriors; but a win would give us some hope that they can continue to compete when they head back out on the road after the break — and would make watching Curry and Wright at the All Star break seem like more than just a happy diversion from another hopeless season.

With Monta clearly off his game (come to think of it, he hasn’t really been the same since he rolled his ankle — hopefully the 3 days off will help him pull things back together), the rest of the team really stepped up and helped them end their 4-game skid.

Curry was of course the top performer last night, but we also have to mention Biedrins’ second straight double-double (his first such streak since January of 2009), solid games from Lee and D. Wright, and Reggie Williams coming up big off the bench. And Udoh bounced back nicely from a rough game with 21 quality minutes (4 points and 5 rebounds).

Sure, Utah was missing Deron Williams, and sure, they’ve been on a downturn lately, but they’re still talented and well-coached, so it’s not like the Warriors beat the Timberwolves last night. And to do it with very little from Monta, with a huge bench contribution down the stretch, and after a demoralizing loss to the Bobcats, you really do need to give Smart some credit for having the team ready to play and for making adjustments throughout the game. Perhaps the best bounce-back performance of the season for a Warrior!

Last 14 minutes: Boooooooooo.

Similar to the Dallas game, the Warriors hung tight against a quality opponent on the road, only to see things fall apart at the end. The night was filled with half full/half empty moments: Reggie started on fire and carried the team in the first quarter, but provided little after that; Lee had a solid rebounding night and got to the line 14 times, but went only 3-15 from the field; Biedrins was the only plus player for the night and was strong on the glass yet again, but still struggled offensively on his way to only 8 points.

And dear lord the bench is terrible. Also, anyone else starting to wonder if Brandon Wright is pulling an Al Harrington with his back?

At least the brutal stretch is over — and now there are no more excuses.

With very few outside shots falling, I give full credit for the win to the front line that produced another winning rebounding battle (continuing the perfect link between a positive rebounding +/- and winning the game).

Lee had troubles with his shot, but had the huge tip-in late and another double-double with 14 and 15. Andris was also huge inside with 20 rebounds, playing about as big and quick as I can remember seeing him.

Gadzuric was surprisingly good off the bench, bringing plenty of energy and hauling in 6 rebounds. He was tapping a few balls in addition to the rebounds he was credited with. I also liked what I saw from Carney (especially his big late bucket), though his team-low -6 doesn’t impress.

Now they take it on the road, playing some teams that they definitely should be able to beat. I’d love to see them win at least 2 of the 5.

• Curry’s Defense. I’m fairly worried about Curry guarding Deron Williams with a bum ankle, so we’ll see what sort of help the Warriors give him throughout the night. If they can do a decent job of containing Williams, they’ll be in great shape to win the game.
• Matchup at the 4. Paul Millsap is having a great season so far. Can David Lee match him tonight, and maybe even play a little bit of defense? Lee missed a ton of putbacks in the last game, so if he can start converting those things could really open up for him.
• All-Star Monta. This is the sort of game where the Warriors will probably need a little bit extra. Assuming Curry is unlikely to be the difference-maker tonight, can Monta make sure the Warriors take a solid start into their first long road trip of the year?