Golden State Warriors Team Report - December 23

(Basketball News) - Jason Richardson scored 24 points, Speedy Claxton added 22, and Golden State overcame a 10-point halftime deficit for a 109-99 victory over Memphis at the Arena.

Troy Murphy collected 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Their win was due, in part, to an eight-shot advantage in three-pointers made.

Golden State was 11-of-21 from beyond the arc. Memphis was just 3-of-16.

The Warriors took their first lead since 14-12 when an Eduardo Najera three- pointer put them ahead 71-69 with 3:00 to play in the period. They never trailed after that.

Memphis tied it at 71 on a pair of James Posey free throws at the other end, but Richardson scored four straight points — including two on a windmill dunk — to give the Warriors their lead back.

The Grizzlies got within one point twice in the fourth quarter: a Jason Williams three made it 85-84 less than four minutes into the period and Posey’s free throws forced 87-86 moments later.

But Golden State used a 12-3 run, keyed by three-pointers from Murphy and Claxton, to take a 99-89 lead with 3:25 remaining.

The Warriors are off until Sunday night when they will visit the Sacramento Kings at ARCO Arena.