Image by Getty Images via @daylifeLOS ANGELES --
Forward David Lee epitomized the night the Warriors had in
Los Angeles. He played 19 minutes, missed all three of his shots and had as many fouls as rebounds. And the man Lee was defending had his way.
"I work hard and stay consistent in my preparation to avoid games where you just can't find a rhythm," Lee said. "But unfortunately it happens."
That about sums up
Golden State's performance Sunday: no offense, no defense, no chance.
The Warriors struggled across the board in a 107-83 loss to the defending champion
Los Angeles Lakers. They shot just 40.9 percent and were out-rebounded 55-42, and that includes a
garbage-time boost in stats.
They had no answer for the Lakers' weapons and failed in their attempt to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 1994-95.
Without Curry, who is hoping to play Wednesday against
Memphis,
Monta Ellis was the Warriors' only reliable weapon for most of the night. He finished with 20 points on 9-of-20 shooting, but he had to work extra hard against a Lakers defense geared to stop him.
"His presence was missed," Ellis said of Curry.
On a night where the Warriors needed someone to go above and beyond, they got no other significant offensive production when the game was in the balance.
Lee, who signed a six-year, $80 million contract this offseason, was the most likely candidate. But coach
Keith Smart had seen enough by early in the third and yanked Lee for good.
It was the first time Lee went scoreless since Nov. 30, 2007, when as a New York Knick he was 0 for 2 in 12 minutes against
Milwaukee.
"He had been great all yearlong, from the preseason on through," Smart said. "I took him out, because he didn't have the pop he normally has. I think he understood that."
