David Lee steps up game amid all the Warriors' losing - San Jose Mercury News

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David Lee steps up game amid all the Warriors' losing - San Jose Mercury News Apr 8th 2012, 05:05 Brandon Rush made 3-point shots on back-to-back possessions with less than five minutes to go Saturday night as the Warriors enjoyed a rare laugher, 112-97 over Denver, and dealt a blow to the Nuggets' playoff hopes night at Oracle Arena. Rush hit 4 of 6 3-pointers and scored 20 points to lead the Warriors to just their second victory in nine games. David Lee failed to score 20 points for the first time in eight games, but he nonetheless had another solid outing with 17 points and nine rebounds. Seven Warriors scored in double figures in a balanced Golden State attack. It was just the Warriors' seventh double-digit victory of the year and first since a 101-92 victory March 21 at New Orleans. Shooting 53.1 percent in the first half, the Warriors assumed a 56-49 lead, then ran off the first seven points of the third quarter and opened their advantage to as much as 17, 74-57, when Dorell Wright put back a miss with 6:01 to go in the period. Denver got back to within 10 entering the final period and briefly cut it to five, 92-87, when Andre Miller made a shot under the basket with 7:31 left. But Lee made a driving layup, and rookie Klay Thompson drilled a 3-pointer to bump it back to 10. After a Richard Jefferson free throw, Rush sealed it with his consecutive 3-point shots with 4:26 and 4:01 to go. Ty Lawson led the Nuggets, who came into the game holding down the eighth Western Conference playoff spot, with 21 points. Former Warrior Al Harrington had 19. As the victory-challenged Warriors have withered on the vine late in the season, it shouldn't be overlooked that Lee has somehow kicked his game up a notch. Entering Saturday night's game, the Warriors had lost seven of eight and 12 of 15, but you wouldn't guess that by Lee's numbers. He had logged seven straight games of 20-plus points -- a career-tying stretch -- and was averaging 26.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists while playing 40.3 minutes a game over that period. While Lee's play might be going unnoticed by the outside world, it hasn't escaped the attention of coach Mark Jackson. "He's paid a lot of money to play the game of basketball, but I've played this game and I've covered this game, and when you're playing for what seems to be nothing, some guys don't bring it," Jackson said. "So I don't take for granted having a star player finishing the right way, sending a message." Lee was averaging 20.2 points a game for the season entering play Saturday, along with 9.6 rebounds. Only three players in the NBA have 20-10 numbers -- Orlando's Dwight Howard, Minnesota's Kevin Love and the Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin -- so Lee is putting himself close to some pretty exclusive company. Lee said he has had a purpose in trying to elevate his game even though his team doesn't have a whole to show for it. "For me right now, it's about being a leader," he said. "We're going to have a lot of guys coming back next year, and we have a chance to have a really spectacular team. So it's about proving to the guys that are here what kind of character I have and that I'm going to be a guy that, no matter what the situation, I'm always going to be ready to go." Lee's inspired play gives Jackson a reason to be excited about the future. "The same way we talk about a process collectively, I think at these moments, individuals tell on themselves -- whether they're in it to win it as a team or whether they're in it for their own personal satisfaction," Jackson said. "David Lee has had an outstanding year, and I'm glad he's on my team. I'm proud of him." Lee, who battled an elbow injury throughout most of last season, has been healthy all year. And he believes he's having his best season as a result. "No question about it, even better than the All-Star season in New York," he said. "I feel like offensively, I've made strides. I was never a guy you could isolate on the block and I could score. I think that's changed this year. I think I'm being a better leader than I was then. Unfortunately, with a lot of the injuries, it couldn't always translate into a better situation for the team." Jackson took the rare opportunity of the A's playing next door Saturday night to visit Oakland manager Bob Melvin before the game and also watch Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki take batting practice with his two youngest sons. Jackson said he's wanted to meet Melvin for a while now and hopes to develop a professional relationship with him over the next few years. "We've been trying to connect," he said. "He was going to come over (to Oracle Arena), but since his game was earlier I decided to go over to see him. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and the job that he's done. " Copyright 2012 San Jose Mercury News. All rights reserved. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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