The Warriors allegedly high-powered offense was reduced to a jump-shooting mess in Friday’s 101-77 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. At the end, when Golden State had made just 33.7 percent of their attempts, shot selection was an obvious concern.

The main culprits were the sharp-shooting Warriors guards: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. They each ere 6 of 16 from the field. Thompson was 3 of 8 from 3-point range, Curry 2 of 6.

MARK JACKSON: “I told the guys at the end of the day, these are shooters, getting good looks. They’re smart enough to turn it down and make plays but I want these guys to continue to be aggressive on the offensive end and don’t turn shots down. If you’re going to clap when they make open shots, you can’t be frustrated yelling at them when they miss the same ones. They’re knock down shooters who had a tough night.”

Jacksonsaid he doesn’t think the shot selection was bad. He said they just missed open shots. But that’s just a coach protecting his players. In the locker room at halftime,Jacksontalked to them about their shots.

Point guard Stephen Curry, who has made a concerted effort to get into the lane more, even acknowledged the Warriors needed to take better shots.

“We shot a lot of early threes in the beginning of possessions. But they were uncontested, a lot of us walking into it. You’ve got to find the balance between zero- and one-pass possessions versus getting to the basket and trying to get the ball moving a little bit and those same shots coming back around. Sometimes it is hard to turn down wide-open threes even if it’s early in the possession and you’ve missed a couple. But we’ve got to find that balance.”

The Warriors lost the game in the second and third quarters. They were downright atrocious. During those two periods, they shot 11 of 44 from the field (25 percent) with eight turnovers. It’s no coincidence that they took 16 of their 25 3-pointers during those two quarters. They were 1 of 10 from 3-point range in the second quarter, and 2 of 6 in the third quarter — meaning over those two quarters they missed more 3-pointers (13) than they took free throws (12).

DAVID LEE: “We got open shots tonight, especially from the three-point line. We just couldn’t buy a bucket. … We didn’t shoot the ball well enough. There’s always going to be days like this on the road and we need to do a better job on the boards to counter that.”This brings me to a new feature:  Writer’s Rant.

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Especially lately, Mark Jackson has emphasized he wanted the Warriors to play more uptempo. He said a faster pace takes advantage of their strengths, so he wants to speed it up.

That goes especially for the up-there-in-age Los Angeles Lakers tonight.

JACKSON: “We understand what they’re going through. But its important for us to play to our strengths. Continue to be disciplined on the defensive end and, it’s no secret, we want to force the tempo.”

That means you’ll probably see a lot more David Lee and Carl Landry than you will of Festus Ezeli and one of the two. Jackson said those are his two best big men since Andrew Bogut is sidelined the next week at least. Jackson said he’ll take the lumps he’ll receive on the defensive end because Lee and Landry presents match-up problems on the offensive end.

JACKSON: “But I think with both of those guys, ultimately you understand you’re going to be overmatched. The important thing for them is to compete and make life tough. What we want to do is take advantage of what we have on the other end.”

Jackson said Landry is the better of the two at guarding centers, primarily because of his strength. But he said Lee has been solid on defense — paying attention to details, sticking to the principles and gameplan instead of freestyling.

They each do enough on that end to make them playing together tolerable on the defensive end, Jackson said. On the other end, Lee is good at running the floor and Landry is especially effective on the secondary break because his moves are efficient and his decisions are quick.

The key will be rebounding. With the Lakers’ size up front, the Warriors really need the guards to crash the glass as they have been.

JACKSON: “That’s how we want to play. Even with Bogut, a big man that protects the paint and rebounds, I think it’s easier to push. But overall I want that to be part of our identity. We’ve got great shooting in the backcourt. We’ve got guys that can make plays. I want to get as many easy hoops as possible.”

More to watch for tonight …

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The Warriors announced after Thursday’s practice they were shutting down Andrew Bogut for 7 to 10 days. The point is to strengthen his left ankle, which is still recovering from surgery in April.

After hearing Bogut talk about it, he is clearly frustrated, disappointed and fed up. While the rest of Warriors fans are encouraged by his production despite being limited, he can’t get past being limited. While the Warriors could use the little he brings, he can’t stomach bringing so little.

So, Bogut wants to take the time off to build his ankle up. And no one disagrees, especially based on how painfully obvious it is he’s not healthy. Here is Bogut in his own words.

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The Warriors have announced they are shutting down center Andrew Bogut for the next 7 to 10 days.

That rules out Bogut for Friday’s game at the Los Angeles Lakers, Saturday’s home game against Denver, and Wednesday’s game against visiting Atlanta.  If he’s out the full 10 days, he would also miss next weekend’s three-game road trip at Minnesota,Oklahoma City and Dallas.

Golden State head coach Mark Jackson said it wasn’t a setback, that the Warriors were giving Bogut time to strengthen his ankle.

“He doesn’t feel like he’s 100 percent,”Jackson said, “and he’s clearly not.”

Bogut said he was frustrated because he can’t do what he normally does on the court. He said he’s tired of being limited and it’s not right that he’s taking minutes so he can rehab in games.

He said he has limited power in his left ankle, preventing him from pushing off when needed. He also said he’s battling pain and periodic swelling. The conclusion was made that his ankle won’t get better while he’s playing, so he’s going to take this time off to see how much that helps.

He said he doesn’t want to play until he has more mobility, and he suggested he wanted his minutes limit increased from 20.

“I can do more,” Bogut said. “I don’t feel like I’m helping the team.”

As of Tuesday night, Warriors forward David Lee said he felt so awful he didn’t think he would play against Cleveland. He missed Tuesday’s practice and Wednesday’s shootaround. The Warriors practically had to set up a hospital room in his house, feeding him fluids intravenously and giving him round-the clock care.

DAVID LEE: “By (Wednesday) afternoon, I felt a little better to at least give it a shot. As captain of this team, along with Steph and Andrew, guys are looking up to me and seeing how I handle myself when I’m not feeling my best. I wanted to play tonight and show that.”

Lee showed them that plus some. His totals: 38 minutes, 22 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals. It’s the first time he’s had as much in each category in one game in his career.

Of course, Lee had better balled out. It’s not like Samardo Samuels or Jon Leuer should be able to stop him.

Cleveland was playing without big man Anderson Varejao, a frantic, physical defender who excels at taking charges and making life difficult. The Cavaliers were also without big man Tyler Zeller, another big body they could’ve thrown at Lee.

But Lee had another opponent, a virus in his stomach. Lee said he felt bad in the first half. But in the second half, he was really suffering. He’d lost so many fluids, so much energy.

STEPHEN CURRY: “Inside the huddle, D. Lee would have his head down in his lap, chugging down Gatorades.”

But he survived, thrived even. So did the Warriors. More from Wednesday’s victory …

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Watch to see if David Lee and Jarrett Jack are available. Each of them missed shootaround with flu-like symptoms. Coach Mark Jackson said both are game-time decisions. But he’s not as worried, thanks to his depth.

JACKSON: “If they’re not available, it’s a great opportunity for someone else to step up and fulfill those roles. Hopefully, they’ll be ready, but we know that there are going to be situations like this throughout the course of the year. … This is a different team, in a different situation. We want a guy like Jarrett to play, but, at the same time, we feel very comfortable and confident in Charles Jenkins. He’s a proven guy. When you throw him out there, you can expect that he’s going to do the job. The same thing goes for Carl. The problem is not having those guys as a luxury behind other guys. Other than that, we’re going to be just fine.”

If Lee doesn’t go, Landry will start. That means Jeremy Tyler could see some time as the back-up power forward. Draymond Green can also play some there, too. While the Warriors many not lose much offensively, as Landry has been more of a force on offense than Lee, Golden State figures to suffer on the boards.

Lee is the Warriors’ leading rebounder. Not only that, the Cavs have a rebounding machine in Anderson Varejao. So Landry would really need to bring his A game on the boards

We’ve got to go out and find a way to get it done.”

If Lee can’t go, Landry will be the starting power forward. If Jack can’t play, Charles Jenkins will get the minutes as the backup point guard.

More to watch for …

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Any win the Warriors can manage during this rough stretch of the schedule, and while their starting center is less than 100 percent, figures to go a long way. And, in the grand scheme of things, splitting the first four games can be considered a relatively good start, especially since three were on the road.

Still, 3-1 would’ve looked so much better than 2-2. And the fact that Golden State had it in their claws, before falling 94-92 at Sacramento, only makes Monday’s loss that much more irritating in the locker room.

Golden State has been fashioning itself as a blue-collar team. They want to win with defense, rebounding, toughness. They want to be known for aggressiveness, resilience. They showed some of that down the stretch, fighting back from a 16-point third quarter deficit. But the loss didn’t sit well because they didn’t do enough it.

MARK JACKSON: “They outworked us early on. That’s what it boiled down to. They were the hardest working team on the floor. The good thing is that we realized when we do put forth the effort and we execute, we climbed back into the ballgame. So imagine if we put together 48 minutes of that.”

Certainly, Sacramento was pumped. They’d lost their first three on the road. They were in their home opener. They were playing a local rival. But the Warriors lost to a team they believe they’re better than.

Perhaps the feeling they were better than the Kings was the problem. Perhaps.

JARRETT JACK: “I think our attention needs to be as high as it can be, no matter who we’re playing. It can kind of be one of those things where you’re playing the Clippers and they have certain guys on their team that obviously you’re going to get jacked when you play against them. This team (Sacramento) doesn’t have that same type of mystique.  Not saying that’s what happened, but you could see just the lull we kind of had to start off the game and it kind of continued until about the third or fourth quarter.”

More on the Monday’s defeat …

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The Warriors’ offense has been sporadic at best. They can be pretty explosive at times. But when they’re not hot, scoring can be a struggle.

That matters because the Kings have been playing REALLY good defense. The Kings are holding opponents to 39.2 percent shooting (2nd in NBA). They produce 10.7 steals (T-5th) and force 17.7 turnovers (10th) per game. The Kings have some big, physical bodies inside that really make it hard to score, specifically DeMarcus Cousins and Chuck Hayes, who is healthy and looking good. Carl Landry, the Warriors’ low-post specialist, figures to have to earn his buckets tonight.

Oddly enough, though, the Kings – usually a good rebounding team – are last in the league in differential. The first three games, they’ve been outrebounded by an average of 12 boards. The Warriors, sixth in that department (+5.3) actually should have the edge in that department.

Fortunately for the Warriors, it shouldn’t take an offensive explosion to outscore Sacramento. The Kings are averaging 88.3 points on 37.4 percent shooting. The three point guards (Isaiah Thompson, Aaron Brooks, Jimmer Fredette) have combined for 11 assists on the season.

Here are some other things to watch for:

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Warriors coach Mark Jackson has grilling his team about defending without fouling. Golden State didn’t do a good job of that on Saturday and it led to the Clippers living at the free throw line.

However, Jackson couldn’t be too mad. In many ways, the foul was a result of an aggressive, physical style of play. The Warriors were reaching, slapping, grabbing, bumping. It led to the Clippers being in the penalty early. But it also led the Clippers to know they were going to have to earn a win.

MARK JACKSON: “We’re going to stay aggressive defensively.”

Golden State doesn’t have a roster full of great defenders. Certainly, rookie center Festus Ezeli is showing himself to be a real defensive presence. And a healthy Andrew Bogut automatically makes the Warriors better defender.

But with guys like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee and Harrison Barnes, it’s going to take a system, a team defense, for them to be effective. Without the top-tier athleticism, strength, the Warriors have to make up for it in other ways. Obviously, communication, hustle and timely rotation is necessary. But there is also a tone to be set.

The Warriors are bumping players that come through the lane. They are (trying to) holding their grown when being posted. They are swiping at the ball when people drive. They are committing the smart, hard fouls and making teams earn it at the line.

It’s like there is a general message they’re trying to put out there.

CURRY: “I think kind of the strength of our team is doing whatever it takes to win.”

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Brandon Rush is out for the rest of the 2012-13 season with a torn left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the Warriors announced. Saturday’s MRI confirmed what many already suspected after Rush injured his knee in the first quarter of Friday’s 104-94 loss to Memphis.

Members of the organization described Rush as devastated and distraught. But it seems the fifth-year swingman is resolved to make a return.

“Been thru this before. Just gonna make me an all-around better player,” Rush said through is Twitter feed.

Surgery is not yet scheduled but Rush is expected to make a full recovery.  He tore his right ACL in 2007 while playing for the University of Kansas.

Rush is due to make $4 million this season and next season as part of the two-year deal he signed with the Warriors this offseason. He was hoping to play well enough to opt out and sign a more lucrative deal next offseason. The way he was playing, it appeared as if he was on the path to do just that.

Rush’s absence for the remainder of the season means the Warriors are without their best perimeter defender and their primary offensive weapon off the bench. Rush posted career highs last season in scoring (9.8), field goal percentage (50.1) and 3-point field goal percentage (45.2). The way he looked this season, he seemed to be well on his way to another productive campaign.

Now what do the Warriors do? Here are a few options:
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