PORTLAND — David Lee scored 24 points to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 101-97 in a preseason game Friday night.
The Warriors held Stephen Curry out of the second half as a precaution after another player rolled up on his surgically repaired right ankle late in the second quarter.
Sasha Pavlovic hit a three-pointer with one minute left to pull the Blazers within 96-95. Klay Thompson made one of two free throws for the Warriors before Pavlovic missed another three with 40 seconds to go.
Former Blazer Jarrett Jack hit a layup to extend Golden State’s lead to 99-95 with 19 seconds left. Will Barton’s basket on the other end kept the Blazers in it, but it was as close as they would come and Thompson made free throws for the final margin.
Klay Thompson had 19 points and Carl Landry had 18 for the Warriors (5-1), who trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points for the Blazers (2-3).
The Blazers saw the return of top draft pick Damian Lillard, who missed a game with a bruised left foot. Proclaimed the team’s franchise point guard by general manager Neil Olshey, Lillard was the sixth overall pick in the June draft out of Weber State. He finished the night with 15 points.
— The Associated Press
