Lee's triple-double lifts Warriors past Bobcats

Lee's triple-double lifts Warriors past Bobcats

Published Dec. 22, 2012 12:11 a.m. ET

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- David Lee had another big game in what Golden State coach Mark Jackson believes is already an All-Star worthy season for the Warriors veteran forward.

Lee was impressed the way his teammates bounced back from a disappointing loss two nights earlier.

On a night when Stephen Curry set a career high with eight 3-pointers, Lee put together one of his best all-around performances of the season with 23 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists to help the Warriors extend the Charlotte Bobcats' losing streak to 14 games with a 115-100 victory on Friday night.

It's the 11th consecutive game in which Lee has had 20 points or more and his 11th with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, tops in the NBA.

"You can pencil in 20 and 10, and then sprinkle in some other stuff around the tree," Jackson said of Lee. "He's been that good all year long. Stef was again spectacular. Those are my leaders and they are doing a great job of setting the tone."

Lee did that with his third career triple-double -- second with the Warriors while Curry became the first player in franchise history to make seven or more 3s in consecutive games. Golden State's guard finished with 27 points.

That combo was enough to offset a solid night from Charlotte's tandem of Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker, who combined for 39 points.

It also got Jackson to talking about the All-Star game. Before and after the game, Golden State's coach said both Lee and Curry deserved consideration, though Lee isn't quite ready to get into that discussion just yet.

"The biggest argument for me on that is we just have to keep winning games," said Lee, who went 11 of 16 from the floor. "That's the way I'm going to get to Houston or Stef's going to get to Houston, is we just keep winning. A lot of that becomes political and we can't do a whole lot about that, but winning games makes our best case."

Henderson had a season-high 23 points for the Bobcats while Walker had 16 points and six assists.

"I thought we just kind of went cold," said Walker, who went 6 for 17 from the floor. "Those guys, they just made the right plays on offense and did a great job of moving the basketball and really getting us out of position."

Klay Thompson added 20 points while Carl Landry and Draymond Green had 11 apiece for the Warriors, who have won eight of 10.

Golden State led by double digits the entire second half and never trailed following a 14-3 run late in the first quarter.

The Bobcats, who haven't won since Nov. 4, had five players in double figures but lost to the Warriors for the second time in 11 days despite committing only seven turnovers.

The way Golden State was shooting it didn't matter.

The Warriors (18-9) shot 51.9 percent from the floor and made a season-high 14 3-pointers after getting 13 in Wednesday's loss to Sacramento.

Curry, who had seven 3s against the Kings, led the perimeter attack while Thompson went 4 for 8 from beyond the arc. That helped Golden State complete its first season sweep of Charlotte since 2004-05, the Bobcats' first year in the league.

Charlotte, making its third stop on a four-game road trip, made one brief run after falling behind 39-25 early in the second quarter but didn't do much else.

Walker, who went to the bench briefly in the first quarter after running hard into a screen attempt by Golden State center Andris Biedrins, scored five points as part of an 11-0 run then made his fourth 3-pointer of the first half to pull the Bobcats within 44-43.

That was as close as they could get.

"We played hard but when you get down to execution ... there's a two-point disparity and the next thing you know it's eight," Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap said. "(Lee and Curry) have presence. They're going to have presence all year long, and we're not the only ones that are going to struggle defending them."

Curry, coming off a 32-point night in the Warriors' 131-127 loss to Sacramento on Wednesday, made a pair of 3s over the final 3:40 and had 15 points before halftime to help Golden State pull away.

NOTES: Golden State committed seven turnovers in the first quarter but only four over the final three. ... Charlotte fell to 2-12 against the Western Conference. ... The Hornets played without guard Ben Gordon, who sat out with soreness in his right knee. ... New York Yankees ace and Bay Area native CC Sabathia was among those in attendance.

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