Font ResizeRandolph can't duplicate his excellent performance
OKLAHOMA CITY — If you ever wonder why second-year forward Anthony Randolph isn't a starter, Monday's game provided an answer. It also explained why he hasn't gotten the big minutes that were expected of him this season.
Randolph totaled four points on 2-for-6 shooting with seven rebounds in 25 minutes of the Warriors' 104-88 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was quite a step down from his previous game — 28 points, 13 rebounds, five assists against Orlando — which he and coach Don Nelson called the best of his career.
"I got the time," Randolph said. "It wasn't a matter of that."
Randolph checked in early in the second quarter against the Magic and was so good that he never came out of the game.
Against the Thunder, he checked into the game late in the first quarter and was so inconspicuous, acting coach Keith Smart almost didn't put Randolph back in the contest.
Randolph, who declined to elaborate on why his production dropped off, wasn't terrible. But he wasn't the active, effective big man the Warriors desperately needed.
Randolph, who did a superb job against Orlando's Dwight Howard, struggled to keep Thunder backup center Nick Collison (eight points, 4-for-5 shooting) from scoring. He did rebound some, but five came in the fourth quarter when the Warriors were already behind double-digits.
Maggette's ejection put the Warriors in a tight spot. He was, along with rookie guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors' only semblance of an offensive option. He had 11 points, five of which came at the line and most of which helped stop Oklahoma City runs.
Maggette declined to comment for fear of being fined, he said.
— MARCUS THOMPSON II
