Warriors, Curry Bury Knicks With Skills Old and New
Stephen Curry found new ways to torment the New York Knicks in his latest visit to Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
Engaged in a battle of elite point guards with Jalen Brunson, Curry buried the Knicks with a little help from his Golden State Warrior friends in a 110-99 victory. As Curry engaged in his usual deep-shooting antics, Jonathan Kuminga put in 25 points on 12-of-19 from the field while Klay Thompson enjoyed another double-figure night off the bench with 16 built by four three-pointers.
The loss capped off a month that proved painful for the Knicks both literally and figuratively: with OG Anunoby and Julius Randle missing the whole stretch, the Knicks finished February with a 4-8 record. Conversely, Golden State has won 12 of 15, and seven in a row on the road.
Brad Penner, USA TODAY SPORTS
Curry nicked the Knicks in his usual manner, shooting 8-of-18 from three-point range en route to a game-best 31 points. But Curry showcased a relatively unsung skill against New York, pulling in 11 rebounds, all but one coming in the first half as Golden State built an early lead. That's a new season-best for Curry, who last reached double-figures in rebounding back in November.
The Warriors (31-27) scored the first 14 points of Thursday's game, putting the Knicks in a hole they could never truly escape, even as a late surge drew them as close as four in the final period. Curry appropriately opened scoring with a triple, immediately casting aside the futility of his last game, as he was rendered scoreless in the first half of a Tuesday win over Washington, the first time he posted zero over the first 24 minutes since November 2012.
Amidst several furious Knicks rallies, most notably a 13-2 run in the final period that cut a 15-point deficit to four just before the midway point, a couple of finishing touches from Curry more or less sealed the deal and doomed the Knicks to their sixth loss in their last eight.
Trickling reinforcements kept the Knicks in the game after they were reduced to seven men in Tuesday's loss to New Orleans but the returns of Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein were unable to alter fate. For his part, Brunson did earn 31 points and five assists and rebounds each in a return from neck spasms while Josh Hart earned an 18-rebound, 14-point double-double, albeit on a 4-of-17 night from the field.
New York (35-25) will get a chance at revenge when it faces Golden State at Chase Center next month. In the meantime, the Knicks return to facing Eastern Conference competition on Sunday night when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road (7 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).
