The Knicks were defeated by the Golden State Warriors 126-113 on Thursday night at the Chase Center.
Here are some takeaways…
– The Knicks were without Jalen Brunson due to an ankle injury, but they did receive a nice boost, as Landry Shamet was finally deemed ready to return after missing the last 25 games with a dislocated shoulder. Shamet didn’t jump back into the starting lineup, though, as it was Miles McBride who slid in in Brunson’s place.
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– New York was able to get off to a much better start coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season on Wednesday in Sacramento. Every starter recorded a bucket and they knocked down six of their first seven shots from behind the arc to open a quick double-digit advantage (15-5).
Shamet was the first man off the bench halfway through the first, and he immediately knocked down his first shot.
– The Knicks pushed the lead out to as many as 17 points, but Karl-Anthony Towns was forced to the bench after picking up a pair of early fouls, and Golden State was able to flip the momentum. The home team used a 13-2 run to cut the deficit all the way back down to five at the end of the opening quarter (35-30).
– Towns had five points and a game-high six rebounds in the first before being forced to the bench. The big man continued his domination into the second, picking up four more boards and a pair of putback buckets to help keep the slim lead midway through a back-and-forth middle quarter (46-44).
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– The Warriors took their first lead minutes later, and they were able to keep it at three heading into the break (62-59). Jimmy Butler led the way with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, KAT racked up a first-half double-double, and Mikal Bridges led the Knicks with 12 points.
– Steph Curry didn’t make a three during the first half (0-for-5), but it didn’t take long for him to snap that skid in the third. The All-Star sharpshooter knocked down his first two coming out of the break as part of a Golden State 13-2 barrage, helping them quickly push the lead out to 11 points (78-67).
Moses Moody added two more triples, giving him seven on the night and a season-high 21 points.
– Each time it looked like the Knicks were ready to take back some of the momentum, the Warriors responded right back. New York simply could not get consecutive stops when they needed them the most, and they found themselves trailing by 12 points heading into the final frame.
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– Curry’s big second half continued into the fourth, but the Knicks refused to go away, and they used a 10-2 run to get the deficit back down to nine points with just over four minutes remaining. Golden State’s hot shooting couldn’t be slowed down the stretch, though, and they held on for the victory.
The Warriors shot 54 percent from the field and 44 percent from behind the arc in the game.
– McBride took advantage of the start with 25 points, Anunoby had 25 as well, Bridges had 21, and Towns had 17 and 20 boards. Shamet knocked down just two of his seven shots in his return and Jordan Clarkson chipped in 11 points, but the rest of the bench combined for just one point.
Butler led all scorers with 32 points, Curry had 27, Moody finished with 21 and Brandin Podziemski had 17 off the bench.
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Game MVP: Steph Curry
Curry got hot after a slow start, making big shots to put this one away late.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks return home to MSG to host the Phoenix Suns on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
