<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>OAKLAND — Don Nelson came to Oracle Arena on Monday fully expecting to have to make do without Stephen Jackson because of an ankle sprain suffered less than 48 hours earlier. Thankfully for the Warriors, their coach was dead wrong. Nursing a sore left ankle that he estimated to be roughly "60 or 65 percent," Jackson came up with his biggest game of the season, raining down 41 points — 16 in the fourth quarter — as the Warriors erased a 23-point deficit to beat the Washington Wizards, 120-117. Jackson shot 11-for-18 from the floor and 15-for-17 from the free-throw line to finish just one point off his career high. He scored Golden State's final 11 points, all in the last 2:03. "A lot of guys wouldn't have even played," Nelson said. "It was an incredible performance. We said during the timeouts, 'Let's go to Jack, he's got the hot hand.' He was the man." The Warriors (31-20) needed their captain to be in order to withstand an onslaught from a Washington (24-27) team that was missing two of its three stars — guard Gilbert Arenas and forward Caron Butler — because of injury. In addition to Antawn Jamison (25 points and 10 rebounds), little-known Wizards such as Brendan Haywood (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Roger Mason Jr. (career-high 32 points, six assists) went off for the Wizards. But Monta Ellis had 22 points, and Baron Davis added 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as the Warriors (31-20) mounted the largest of their 12 comeback wins from double-digit deficits this season. "We're making some history," jokedcenter Andris Biedrins. "We're playing for the fans. It's more exciting to go down and then win the game." The Warriors have this act down pat. Washington bolted out to a 30-12 advantage in less than eight minutes, was up 64-41 with 4:20 to go in the second quarter and eventually scored a season-high 72 points by intermission. Haywood dominated the paint for 18 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Mason bombed away from outside, nailing five of six 3-pointers for his 21 points. But the Wizards' 17-point halftime lead was a bit of a false front, built as it was on acrobatic, mostly unrepeatable off-kilter shots by guys such as Mason, Jamison and DeShawn Stevenson. "Coach came in and told us, 'There's nothing I can tell you. You gotta go out there and win,'" Jackson said. "The game plan was set, but they were knocking down shots. We just had to play harder than them and play better defense." When Ellis converted two free throws with 1:47 left in the third quarter, the Warriors were within single digits (88-80) for the first time since midway through the first period, drawing a paroxysm of cheering from the 19,043 on hand. The Wizards remained out in front thanks in part to such fortuitous plays as Dominic McGuire's desperation 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer — the rookie forward's first NBA 3-pointer. Golden State came out firing in the fourth period, using a 6-2 burst to chop the Wizards' lead to five points, at 97-92, on a bucket by Ellis at the 10:07 mark. Washington maintained its lead by scoring in bunches for several minutes, but the Wizards defense — along with their composure and stamina, sapped by playing down to the wire in Phoenix on Sunday — vanished in the meantime. Trailing 113-105 with 3:08 to go, the Warriors scored 12 straight points — 10 by Jackson — while the Wizards simply could not get the ball to Jamison. Jackson had a chance to tie the game when he was fouled with 1 minute exactly and Washington leading 113-111, but he went one better, hitting the first free throw and then draining a 3-pointer after Al Harrington (21 points) alertly tapped the offensive rebound to Biedrins, who fed it back to Jackson at the top of the key. That put the Warriors up 115-113 with 55.6 seconds remaining — Golden State's first lead since it held a 3-2 advantage in the opening seconds. Jackson hit four more free throws after that as Washington had to foul in desperation, but missed one of two with 8.5 seconds left, leaving the door open for the Wizards. Stevenson, however, clanked his 3-point try with Davis in his face at the buzzer.</div> Source: Inside the Bay Area
Sjax (like Baron and Barnes) is risky as hell when it comes to execution, but he's amazing when he pulls it off. Playing risky isn't stupid, provided that the confidence and ability are there to do in such a high % way. Sjax made that 3 pointer look easy. His drives looked awkward because he's going off his opposite foot to compensate for that ankle injury, but I was amazed how he just faked his defender into playing him too close and then went up for the dunk, layup or foul call. He's a true warrior.
Different game, but SJax played Amare all night and still contributed offensively. Amazing. Love him.
