THE Warriors of the Golden State entered Madison Square Garden on Thursday night knowing they had a chance to gain momentum. They were one of the best teams in the NBA in February and had won six straight road games. After starting a four-game road trip with a victory against the Wizards of Washingtonthe Dubs received a New York Knicks team which was not only shaken, but playing without Julius Randle and OG Anunoby.
Golden State wasted no time getting to work. Steph Curry, mired in one of the worst three-game shooting slumps of his career, made a three on the opening possession. A minute later, Moses Moody – replacing the absent Andrew Wiggins – was fouled and split the free throws. Curry left three more on the next possession, and 28 seconds later, Jonathan Kuminga laid the ball down uncontested.
It was a 9-0 lead and New York needed a timeout.
Immediately out of timeout? Kuminga blocked Isaiah Hartenstein’s shot and Curry made a third three. Shortly after, Kuminga added another layup.
It was 14-0. And it wasn’t until 6:34 that former Warrior Donte DiVincenzo broke the ice for the Knicks with a layup.
From that point on, the teams played almost perfectly evenly matched. It was everything the Warriors needed. They pushed the lead to 22-5 before New York began to answer, sparking an 11-2 run. But even though the Knicks started making shots after a stifling defensive effort by the Dubs in the first quarter, it was still 31-19 Golden State after the first quarter. Curry had dropped a mind-blowing 11 points and seven rebounds, and the Warriors were firmly in control.
The rest of the match simply went back and forth, with New York threatening several times but never completely closing the gap. The Knicks had a rally early in the second quarter, but the Warriors responded with an 8-0 run. Things got rough, physical and a little bloody, and New York had another 11-2 run to get within six. The Warriors responded and, even with Draymond Green fouling DiVincenzo on a desperation three at the buzzer, Golden State led 55-46 at halftime.
The third quarter was almost identical. The teams went back and forth and the Dubs pushed the lead to 15 again. Then the Knicks, led by DiVincenzo and college teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, went on a run and nearly tied the game. match. Golden State responded again, with Klay Thompson making a layup with one second remaining to give the Warriors a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
You know what happens in the fourth quarter. The Warriors thought about not collapsing, as the Chris Paul-led bench unit once again pushed the lead to 15 points. And, to no one’s surprise, the Knicks immediately responded with a 9-0 score. As we neared the halfway mark and Curry and Green returned, New York closed to within four points. It looked like we were going to have a close game, but the Dubs were having none of it. Aided by a few missed shots from New York, a few key offensive rebounds and some offensive flash from Curry and Kuminga, the Warriors once again pushed the lead to double digits, earning a full minute of time.
The final score? 110-99. The final tally? Seven consecutive road victories.
Curry and Kuminga led the way, with the former dropping 31 points and 11 rebounds on 11-of-26 shooting and the latter dropping 25 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks on 12-of-19 shooting. . Moody, Green and Brandin Podziemski provided the defensive backbone of the starting lineup, which handled business throughout the game.
They won’t have much time to celebrate their victory, however: the Dubs have to get on a plane and take out their passports, as they face the Toronto Raptors Friday night at 4:30 p.m. PT.
