Lee Scores 28, Warriors Hang On To Beat Knicks
NEW YORK (AP) -- David Lee scored a season-high 28 points in his return to New York, Dorell Wright made two huge baskets in the final two minutes, and the Golden State Warriors improved their best start in 16 years to 6-2 by beating the Knicks 122-117 on Wednesday night.
Stephen Curry added 25 points and Monta Ellis had 22 for the Warriors, who blew a 19-point lead in the second half but were bailed out by Wright, who hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:58 remaining and added an insurance basket a minute later.
Lee grabbed his 10th rebound after Wilson Chandler missed a tying 3-point attempt and sank two clinching free throws with 1.5 seconds left, and the longtime fan favorite later jogged off to cheers after completing some postgame interviews on the court.
Amare Stoudemire, who essentially replaced Lee over the summer, had a season-high 33 points for the Knicks, who lost their third straight. Chandler added 27 and Raymond Felton scored 20.
Lee's three-point play ignited a big Golden State run in the third quarter, and another basket started a second key spurt when the Knicks cut it to three early in the fourth. Things looked settled at that point, but New York took a 113-111 lead on Felton's free throws with 2:11 remaining.
Wright then drilled his 3-pointer, and recovered a loose ball after Chandler's block and put it back in for a 116-113 edge with 59 seconds left. A free throw by Lee gave the Warriors' a two-score advantage, but the Knicks were back within one when Stoudemire nailed a 3 with 14 seconds to play before the Warriors closed it out from the line.
It's Golden State's best start since opening 7-2 in 1994-95.
Lee was a late first-round pick in 2005 who got better every
year, becoming an All-Star last season when he averaged 20.9 points and 11.7 rebounds. But the Knicks were looking for something more last summer, hoping they could land two superstars from the free agency class.
Re-signing Lee would have jeopardized that, so Lee said he
realized by the end of the season that he would probably be moving on. The Knicks at least helped him get richer, arranging a sign-and-trade with the Warriors that allowed him to earn a more lucrative contract that will pay him $80 million over six years.
And it's given him a chance to experience some winning basketball for a change after he never won more than 33 games in New York. Lee entered a game at Madison Square Garden with a winning record just five times in five years with the Knicks, according to STATS, LLC.
He received a nice ovation during pregame introductions, and the Knicks honored him with a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout.
Lee converted a three-point play to open the second half, triggering a 19-6 burst. The Warriors scored the final nine points of it, extending their lead to 79-62 with 5:45 left on Curry's technical free throw. The lead grew to 19 before the Knicks stormed back, pulling to 85-81 on Felton's four-point play with 55 seconds remaining.
Stoudemire, Toney Douglas and Stoudemire again converted three-point plays as the Knicks quickly wiped out another double-digit deficit in the fourth, knotting it at 107 with 3:49 to go.
Ellis, who came in as the NBA's scoring leader, played 40 minutes after injuring his back two nights earlier during a fourth-quarter fall in a victory at Toronto.
The Knicks changed up their lineup in an effort to get started quicker, inserting Chandler at forward and shifting Stoudemire to center, with Timofey Mozgov going to the bench. But while the offense was crisper, the defense was absent in the first quarter for the third straight game.
Lee went 6 for 8 for 12 points in the first quarter, when the Warriors shot 62 percent en route to a 34-32 lead. Golden State had a small lead for most of the second before taking a 60-56 edge into halftime.
New York played without two of the three players it got back in the Lee trade. Shooting guard Kelenna Azubuike hasn't played this season while recovering from left knee surgery, while Ronny Turiaf, who was provided an inside presence off the bench, was out with a sprained left knee. Anthony Randolph was scoreless in 7 ½ minutes.
Notes: Knicks president Donnie Walsh said he would probably have a procedure on his hip next week while the Knicks are on a road trip out West. Walsh said it was unrelated to the surgery he had in June to remove a spur on his vertebra. He no longer requires a wheelchair and said the hip procedure was not serious but rather to help balance his walking. Walsh added he's had a bad hip for a long time, joking that "anybody who played for Dean Smith probably had them because you were always diving on the floor for loose balls," and believes getting it done now will allow him to get back on the road again. ... Lee had the best game of his career against the Warriors here two seasons ago, recording career bests of 37 points and 21 rebounds in the Knicks' victory.
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