Subs step up their game as Warriors top Nets again

The Warriors' margin for error might be widening.

Throughout the first half of the season, three starters had to play well for Golden State simply to have a chance at a victory.

On Monday, only two played well, yet the Warriors' 109-100 win over New Jersey in a matinee at Oracle Arena was never in doubt.

The Warriors had a season-low six turnovers, got good production off the bench and did not trail after Dorell Wright's driving finger roll at the 10:04 mark of the first quarter.

"Early in the year, the bench was complaining about not playing. Now they're playing and they're playing well," coach Keith Smart said. "I was trying to get across to them the point that they have to be productive when they get an opportunity to come off the bench.

"Anytime I can give our starters a chance to rest or give them a chance to regroup if they're not playing well, that's only going to help the team as the season moves forward."

Off the bench, Reggie Williams recorded 12 points and four rebounds, Acie Law had eight points and Vladimir Radmanovic added five points. That, along with 50 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists from Monta Ellis and David Lee, made up for lackluster games from Wright and Stephen Curry.

The bench trio shot 10-for-18. Williams scored double-digit points in back-to-back games for the first time since he had seven in a row, Dec. 8-21.

Wright and Curry combined for 23 points on 6-for-17 shooting.

Curry picked up two early fouls in each half and had to sit for a 12 1/2-minute block each time. Instead of losing leads without their point guard on the floor, the Warriors' bench maintained a two-point edge in the first half and a six-point lead in the second.

"We're going to need those guys," Ellis said. "We're going to need every man on this roster to step up whenever they get a chance.

"If they do their parts and the starters continue to do their parts, we'll be all right."

That was certainly the case against wobbling New Jersey, though it's tough to tell what type of gauge you can get from beating a 10-31 team. The Nets have lost 19 of their past 20 road games and 11 of their past 12 overall, and their coach, Avery Johnson, called his offense "anemic."

The Warriors played passable defense, limiting Brook Lopez (20 points) to three free-throw attempts and Devin Harris (19 points) to 5-for-14 shooting. Golden State also blocked a season-high 10 shots, three from Andris Biedrins as he passed Clifford Ray for eighth on the franchise's all-time list with 467.

"At some point, you're going to start thinking that we can play some defense around here," Smart said.

It's always dangerous looking too far ahead with the Warriors (17-23), but, if they win home games against Indiana and Sacramento this week, they'll be four games from .500 for the first time since Dec. 5. They play the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday before returning home for an eight-game stretch.

"We're really trying to build momentum here at home," Lee said. "We can be right back to .500 and be right back in the playoff hunt before you know it. We're back healthy now, and we're back to playing the way we're capable of playing."

Inside

Cold Curry: The Warriors' guard is sitting more since his return from an injury. Hot Griffin: The Clippers' rookie scores 47 in a victory over Indiana. B3

E-mail Rusty Simmons at rsimmons@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle