Newcomer Lee Leads Warriors Past Kings
OAKLAND (AP) - David Lee had 13 points and 13 rebounds, Monta Ellis added 18 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 95-86 on Sunday night.
Stephen Curry scored 15 points and had seven rebounds for the Warriors (2-0), who led by as many as 17 while winning their second straight under first-year coach Keith Smart.
DeMarcus Cousins had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Sacramento before fouling out with 4:46 left The Kings played their second straight preseason game without guard Beno Udrih.
Lee, one of several newcomers to Golden State's roster, was only 5 of 13 from the floor but had a dunk and three layups in the third quarter when the Warriors built a 75-59 lead. Lee was acquired from the New York Knicks in a sign-and-trade deal on July 9.
Dorell Wright, another of the Warriors new arrivals who was signed because of his defense, also gave Golden State's offense a lift.
The veteran guard, who spent his first six NBA seasons in Miami, had nine points in the first half, including a 3-pointer, and finished with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Golden State led 51-45 at halftime then blew the game open after intermission. Wright brought the sparse crowd at Oracle Arena to its feet in the third quarter when he took Stephen Curry's alley-oop pass from midcourt and dunked to make it 69-58.
Smart only used his starters in the first and third quarters of Friday's 127-87 win over the Los Angeles Clippers but kept them on the court longer against the Kings. He'll likely play them even more when the Warriors play Portland on Saturday.
Ellis was only 5 of 13 from the floor while Curry went 6 for 14. Overall, Golden State shot 41.2 percent from the floor but still scored 31 fastbreak points, a sign not everything has changed under Smart's direction.
Smart replaced Don Nelson in late September after the team decided to part ways with the NBA's winningest coach.
The Kings are still trying to get their new pieces in place.
Cousins, the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft, went 7 of 18 and was sporadically effective in the paint. He also struggled defensively, fouling out for the second time in two preseason games.
Point guard Tyreke Evans was held to nine points and three assists in 21 minutes. Evans more than doubled his playing time from Sacramento's preseason opener when he sat out the final 39 minutes of the game while coach Paul Westphal looked at the team's younger players.
Luther Head scored 13 points off the bench for the Kings, who shot 34.1 percent from the floor.
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