Lead Scorer: David Lee – 28 points.

Next: Wednesday at home vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Lead Scorer: Monta Ellis – 33 points.

Bench Play: Warriors second unit outscored the potent Rockets bench 36-29. Rookie shooting guard Klay Thompson hit four threes and had 14 points, while Brandon Rush added 10.

Next: Mark Jackson’s club hosts Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns tonight.

Mark Jackson’s young Warriors experienced a tough loss Tuesday night at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder — and the refs.

“We’re a no-excuse basketball team,” Jackson said. “Like we say, ‘One play doesn’t lose it.’ But on that play at the end, David Lee gets hammered by James Harden, clearly. We don’t get that call. David Lee picks up his fifth foul when he doesn’t even put contact on Russell Westbrook, who blatantly fouls Monta Ellis.

“These are calls that you cannot get back, but they hurt us. I don’t accept ‘My bad’ from my players all night long, and it’s getting old accepting ‘My bad’ (from the officials) on missed calls.”

Difficult loss to swallow in front of your home fans — especially when you have Monta going off for 48 points and David Lee recording a triple-double.

The Warriors were again with guard Stephen Curry Tuesday night, but it didn’t halt them one bit, as they went on the road and topped the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-95.

Golden State, now 3-4 without Curry, were led by David Lee, who scored a season-high 29 points—13 in the fourth quarter.

Nate Robinson added 17 points, and Monta Ellis scored 10 points, and at the same time was smacked with an elbow late in the game, causing a ton of blood to be spilled on his jersey with a nose that was cut and swollen.

Lee scored seven straight points midway through the final period to help the Warriors pull away from the Cavs. The Warriors were catching the Cavs after they were back at home after a 7-game road trip.

After losing their first four road games, the Warriors have won two straight away from home for the first time since 2010—an encouraging sign for first-year coach Mark Jackson.

“That’s what good teams do,” Jackson said. “Despite the adversity, find a way to get it done. Our guys did exactly that. When you compete and defend, you’ll win your share of games in this league.”

Ellis was only 2 of 12 from the floor, but Lee and the other Warriors picked up the scoring slack. “It wasn’t my night,” Ellis said. “It was David Lee’s night. We needed someone to step up. He can do that every night.”

Antawn Jamison scored 19 and rookie Kyrie Irving had 18 for Cleveland. The Cavaliers were sloppy at both ends of the floor, showing fatigue after being on the road for two weeks.

“It was just carelessness,” said Irving, who had eight rebounds and five assists but six turnovers. “But we’re going to continue to get better. Turnovers happened at the wrong times. It was turnover, turnover, turnover.”

The Warriors will be in New Jersey on Wednesday night.

The Golden State Warriors are expected to have point guard Stephen Curry return to the starting backcourt Saturday night when they host the Philadelphia 76ers, however, Curry may be without his backcourt teammate — Monta Ellis — who will be attending a family member’s funeral in Mississippi.

Ellis, who’s averaging 21 points and 7.7 assists per game this season, was given permission by coach Mark Jackson to attend the funeral of his grandmother, who died on Christmas morning.

He was excused from Friday’s workout

As for Curry, he participated in non-contact drills during Friday’s practice and says his sprained right ankle should be healthy enough to play against Philadelphia.

Fesenko was in the Bay Area on Wednesday night, but the Warriors “decided to go in another direction,” according to a team spokesman. The Warriors were considering bringing in Fesenko, 7-foot-1, 290 pounds, as a third center – behind Andris Biedrins and Kwame Brown.

Fesenko, who played the past four seasons for Utah, is a free agent. He averaged two points and two rebounds per game in 53 games for the Jazz in 2010-11.

It appears that the Warriors are playing the Curry ankle situation on the safe side.

X-rays late Monday were negative on the surgically repaired right ankle of the Warriors phenom point guard Stephen Curry, who scored 21 points and dished out 12 assists in the 99-91 win against the Chicago Bulls.

“They did X-Rays last night. Everything’s fine. It’s ok,” Curry’s agent, Lance Young said. “It’s just a sprain. Nothing serious.

However, the Davidson alum will sit out tonight’s home affair with the New York Knicks, according to Young.

It’s seems like it’s the right decision to be cautious with Curry, who Mark Jackson knows he will need healthy if he wants any chance at making the Playoffs in the Western Conference.

Keeping your star floor general sidelined for tonight’s showdown with the star-driven Knicks is tough to do, but it could pay off down the road — when the Warriors are fighting for a Playoff spot.