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Damion Lee was the hero for the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls. The fourth-year guard made a game-winning three-pointer that led the Warriors to their first win of the season.
Following a much-needed victory, Lee goes into detail about how he earned the opportunity to give the Warriors their 129-128 victory against the Bulls, their first of the season.
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The Making of the Shot
After the game, Lee unveiled the unexpected play that improvised along with Warriors’ Kevon Looney in order to make the clutch shot.
“I basically told Loon [Looney] coming out of the timeout ‘if I count to four and give you eye contact, just come back and we’ll play the hand back and whatever happens, happens’,” Lee explained per Wes Goldberg on Twitter. “It worked out not the way that we planned it, but we got the win anyway.”
Damion Lee explains the process of the game-winning shot tonight. “Not the way that we planned it, but we got the win anyway.”
According to Lee, he was the third option behind All-Star Steph Curry, of course, and Andrew Wiggins. However, both Curry and Wiggins were rejected for the setup pass, so in reaction, Lee, in the heat of the moment, came up with a set-up by Looney which perfectly allowed him to make the game-winner.
Kerr apparently drew up a final play in the hopes of creating a good look for either Curry, who finished the game with 36 points, or Wiggins who had his best game of the season. Obviously, the two were heavily guarded and it was basically impossible for Curry to even attempt the shot.
In the final seconds, Lee inbounded to Looney and the two had to go out on a whim. Looney instinctively read the screen and lobbed the ball right back to Lee who took one dribble and fired off the incredible shot, and that was the game.
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Damion Lee Set the Momentum For the Rest of the Team
Curry in a post-game interview per the Warriors’ SoundCloud complimented his brother-in-law wh0 made a decision that erupted Warriors Nation. He echoed that even though the last play was drawn up for him or Wiggins to get the ball and make that shot, Lee obviously made the right decision and made the most out of a broken play.
Damion Lee has done much more “by the three” this season even before his now infamous close-out three from the top of the arc to beat the Bulls. Little does everyone know, Lee has made 60 percent of his shots from the three in the Warriors’ first two games of the season, while the rest of the team has made a little over 20 percent.
After game three, Lee has proved himself to be one of the most efficient three-point shooters on this reconstructed team that was once known for draining three-pointers on a consistent basis. With the absence of All-Star Klay Thompson, due to an Achilles injury which has him out for the entirety of the season, the Warriors are struggling to find success in their beyond the arc shooting.
With a miracle from Damion Lee, the Warriors were able to secure their first win of the season. A much-needed win for Golden State.
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