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. CONTINUE READING...
