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Ellis pushes upstart Warriors past Knicks

Dec 29, 2011 - 7:28 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Monta Ellis scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, sparking the Warriors to a 92-78 victory over the Knicks.

Brandon Rush stepped up in the absence of Stephen Curry with 19 points for Golden State, which turned a tie game heading to the final stanza into a rout.

Ish Smith filled in for the injured Curry (ankle) and totaled 11 points, six rebounds and four assists in the Warriors' second straight victory.

"We're a no-excuse basketball team," said first-year head coach Mark Jackson. "Whoever is in the game, whoever is playing, our mission stays the same."

Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony scored 16 and 13 points, respectively, but shot a combined 8-for-27 from the field for the Knicks, who were coming off a Christmas Day win over the Boston Celtics.

Dominic McGuire opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a layup to ignite an 8-1 run that gave the Warriors a 72-65 lead.

Dorell Wright's three-pointer near the midway point gave Golden State an 81-70 lead, and Ellis took over from there with eight straight points.

Ellis went 4-of-17 from the floor in the first three quarters, but came out of the funk with a pair of three-pointers around two free throws, resulting in an 89-70 cushion the Warriors held on to over the final four minutes.

The Knicks held a 23-21 lead after 12 minutes and owned the biggest lead of the first half, 36-28, following a Landry Fields dunk with 4:18 remaining in the second quarter.

The visitors were on top, 43-37, at the break, but Rush erupted for 12 points in the third. Rush's three-pointer at the buzzer tied it, 64-64.

Game Notes

The Warriors end their season-opening four-game homestand against Philadelphia on Saturday...The Knicks are back at it on Thursday against the Lakers...New York hasn't opened the season with back-to-back wins since going 3-0 in 1999-00...Ellis also handed out a game-high eight assists...Stoudemire pulled down 10 rebounds, but the Knicks were beaten on the glass, 47-31...Fields and Bill Walker each scored 14 points for New York.