One down, three to go in the B. Diddy vs. Golden State reunion affairs.
Clippers guard Baron Davis called his first meeting against his former team "fun"
than it was stressful, though his team suffered a 121-103 win at the Staples Center.
"That was fun going against Jack,"
Davis said of matching up against his good friend Stephen Jackson, who started at point guard for the Warriors on Saturday. "He's out there talking a lot. Jack's always talking. ... He's done a great job and I think they're starting to settle in and figure out who they are as well. The young guys are stepping up. (Warriors center) Andris Biedrins is playing exceptionally well. He's going to have an All-Star year."
Davis had 25 points and 11 assists. But he was just 1-for-5, including three missed 3-pointers, for four points in the fourth quarter with no assists. Hardly the game he had planned, assuredly.
He did come into the Warriors' locker room after the game and left with Jackson after shaking hands.
"It's going to be fun going back to Oakland,"
Davis said, "playing in that arena again, playing in front of those fans, just seeing a lot of old faces and friends. That will be more emotional than him coming down here."
Little bro
Warriors rookie guard Anthony Morrow scored 37 points in his first-ever NBA start and first game playing major minutes. It had his mentor beaming with pride.
"You know what his nickname is?"
Jackson asked. "Steve Jr. He doesn't look like me, but our games are very similar. He just shoots better than me."
Morrow set an NBA record for most points by an undrafted rookie. The previous high was guard Marquis Daniels' 33 for Dallas in 2004. Yup, Don Nelson was the coach.
Morrow made 15 of his first 18 shots before missing his last two attempts. He was trying to reach the 40-point plateau, egged on by the crowd and the Warriors' bench.
"I don't think I've ever been that hot,"
Jackson said. "How many shots did he miss? I've never been that hot. Only in Texas in the summer have I been that hot."
Off glass
Lost in all the hoopla of Morrow's performance and Davis' first game against the Warriors was swingman Corey Maggette, who was playing his first game against his former team. The former Clipper had 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting and five rebounds in 26 minutes. It was an improved showing over Thursday's against Detroit, his first game back from a strained left hamstring, when Maggette had 13 points on 2-for-7 shooting in 28 minutes. ... Second-year forward Brandan Wright went from starter to riding the bench in a blink. He had started the last four games in place of injured forward Al Harrington. He'd averaged 25.6 minutes in the previous five games. But Saturday in Los Angeles, he didn't get off the bench. He isn't injured. Nelson said the decision was based on "matchups."
... Jackson picked up his second technical foul of the season in the final seconds of the first quarter. This time, Davis wasn't there to calm him down. "I knew he was going to get that tech,"
Davis said. "I was like, 'Give him another one. Get him out of here.' "
