TThe road trip is over, hallelujah, amen. Tonight, the New York Knicks (25*-16) were coming off a dismal loss in Sacramento yesterday. They would be playing without their injured leader, Jalen Brunson, and without Mitchell Robinson, load managing after last night’s game. Their opponent, the Golden State Warriors (23-19), had pulverized Portland on Tuesday and have looked good lately. The question was, could the Knicks roster hold its own against Steph Curry and the Dubs?
From the jump, it looked like maybe they could.
The Knicks burst out of the gate fleet of foot and shooting sharply. They rode Josh Hart’s all-around play to build a 17-point lead, but that energy proved hard to sustain as the fatigue set in. Golden State steadied itself behind Jimmy Butler and Curry, erasing the deficit by halftime and taking a 62-59 lead. In the second half, more buckets scored by Curry, Butler, and Moses Moody—seven three pointers for him—allowed the Warriors to pull away, as the graph below shows. Despite gritty efforts from OG Anunoby, Miles McBride, and even Karl-Anthony Towns, there was no gas left in the tank for a real rally. Final score, 126-113.
New York finished shot 42-of-91 (46%), hitting 14-of-38 from downtown (37%) and 15-of-19 at the line (79%). They outrebounded the Dubs by four and dished 28 dimes without their lead point guard. They just didn’t get enough support from their bench, which was outscored 35-20.
Anunoby and McBride carried the load with 25 points apiece: the former went 10-of-20 overall with five rebounds and two steals, while the latter shot 6-of-12 from deep and added six assists. Towns posted a 17-point, 20-rebound double-double on 6-of-14 shooting, including eight offensive boards. Mikal Bridges chipped in 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. After his quick start, Josh Hart’s impact diminished steadily (five points on 1-of-7), but he added 10 assists. Off the bench, Jordan Clarkson scored 11 points and was a -18 plus/minus in his 18 minutes. Landry Shamet returned to the lineup (see below) but was rusty, shooting 2-of-7. And Tyler Kolek distributed five assists, but turned over the ball twice and took one shot in 11 minutes (-12).
Golden State shot 48-of-89 (54%) and 20-of-45 from deep (44%). Jimmy Butler topped the charts with 32 points on 14-of-22 shooting, adding eight rebounds and four assists. Curry chipped in 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three, with seven assists. Moses Moody provided a major perimeter lift with 21 points on 7-of-9 from three. Off the bench, Brandin Podziemski scored 19 on 8-of-9 shooting with five assists and a team-best +22.
First Half
In the opening minutes, New York established control with uncommon energy. McBride was the nominal point guard, but Hart assumed the role of chief playmaker. Josh was everywhere, pushing the pace, scoring, rebounding, and passing with panache. Last night, the Knicks made 1-of-19 three-pointers in the first half. They sank 5-of-6 in the first six minutes tonight. Playing so efficiently, the Knicks gathered a 17-point lead.
Around the seven-minute mark, Landry Shamet checked in for the first time in 25 games. Shamwow commemorated the moment with a three-pointer. What a welcome return!
The thing about playing fast is that sometimes the team has the careening energy of a runaway train. On a timeout, Coach Brown was heard telling his group to keep pushing the pace. Without a doubt, they got their cardio in. Sometimes it was a thing of beauty, like when Deuce drove the lane at top speed, scored, and got the and-one. Other times, they lost the handle and looked like hyperventilating giraffes on roller skates. The pace began to take its toll. As the visitors slowed down, the home team gained ground.
After going up by a bunch, New York allowed the Dubs to go on a 16-4 run. Jimmy Butler turned the tide, generating points at the rim, drawing fouls, and snagging rebounds. New York, meanwhile, committed costly turnovers and saw several shots blocked. By the break, they were still ahead, 35-30, but had clearly lost momentum.
The refs must have agreed before the game not to call travels on the Warriors. That’s cool. With some help from the zebras, Golden State kept chipping at the deficit. When their run from the end of Q1 into Q2 reached 21-7, the score was tied at 40.
At the six-ish minute mark, Golden State had made six straight shots and took its first lead of the night. From there, the lead changed five times, never more than a few points in either direction. By the buzzer, the Golden bunch were up, 62-59.
Through the half, Golden State shot 60% from the field and 47% from three, compared to New York’s 46% and 39%,. The home team also held an edge in points in the paint (26–22) and four blocks. The Knicks had taken better care of the ball, committing fewer turnovers (6–8).
The Warriors gained the most ground when their bench was deployed. The bench boys made 4-of-6 from deep, grabbed nine rebounds, and out-scored the Knicks’ second unit 23-13. For New York, KAT already had an 11-10 double-double. For the Californians, Jimmy Butler had 15 points.
Second Half
To start the third quarter, the Knicks took a small lead before allowing the Warriors to rip off on a 16-4, Steph Curry-fueled run. It’s like Groundhog Day out here.
Golden State leaned on timely scoring from Curry, Butler, and Moody (seven three-pointers for him and counting . . .). Second-chance opportunities—thanks to offensive boards from Butler and Green—helped the Dubs control pace and keep New York at arm’s length.
The Knicks received a boost from McBride and Towns. Both hit threes. The latter supplied interior finishes and rebounds. After briefly tying the score in the first few minutes, they watched the Warriors steamroll to a double-digit advantage. Heading into the fourth, the score was 99-87.
McBride kicked off the final period with a triple. Green did us a solid, tripping Towns on a drive for a flagrant foul, giving Towns two freebies (making one), and possession. Towns gave the ball away, inadvertently elbowing Brandin Podziemski in the face for a foul (purposefully would have been fine, too). Then, seconds later, KAT picked up his fifth foul on a driving Green. To the bench went Towns. After that, Anunoby cut the differential to eight, but Curry scored a few buckets and the lead was 14. Seven minutes to go.
The Knicks finally chased Curry off the line, but he swung it to Butler, who made the three instead. That put the homers up by 17. Anunoby was doing his best Captain Clutch impression. He scored ten points and counting, all within the arc, attacking like a bull. His efforts cut the deficit to nine with four minutes left.
These Knicks played last night, remember? They looked it. Those tired legs turned to jelly and the team that offered little resistence for the previous 44 minutes had absolutely nothing left to get game-saving stops. Podziemski and McBride traded triples. Towns and McBride both missed shots. Mike Brown used a Warriors timeout to empty his bench. Ballgame.
Up Next
Homeward bound, our heroes are. Gotta get back to the Garden for a rematch with the Suns on Saturday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
[Shameless plug: Stop by Barnes & Noble in Vestal on Saturday where I’ll be signing my latest book from 12-3pm.]
* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count.
