Knicks Fall to Warriors Despite Karl-Anthony Towns Mastery

Karl-Anthony Towns saved the best for last in the final stage of the New York Knicks' road trip, but it wasn't enough to escape with one last win.

Towns' double-double was but a silver lining in the Knicks' latest primetime heartbreaker, as they fell to the Golden State Warriors by a 97-94 final. A 29-point, 12-rebound effort from Towns was the undeniable headliner but the Knicks (42-24) dropped three of five on this West Coast tour.

Stephen Curry led the victorious Warriors (39-28) with 28 points en route to a seventh straight victory, a sweep of the yearly couple against the Knicks, and the 558th win of Steve Kerr's coaching career, allowing him to pass the late Al Attles for the most in franchise history. Golden State is also now 14-1 when Jimmy Butler takes the floor for them this season.

It was a rollercoaster evening for Towns, who was at the center of a controversy far from his own doing.

Saturday marked a rematch between the Knicks and Warriors after Draymond Green baselessly suggested Towns skipped the meeting on March 4 to avoid an awkward reunion with Butler, his former teammate from Minnesota. Towns, listed as out due to personal reasons, was actually on bereavement leave after his girlfriend Jordyn Woods lost a close friend to cancer.

Towns and Green were in each other's trajectory all night, with the latter gleefully taking delight in the former's early foul trouble, as he was charged with three fouls in the first half. Despite those issues, Towns had 11 points and six rebounds and the Knicks trailed by only four at halftime thanks in part to late triples from Butler and Curry that concluded each period.

Golden State stretched out a lasting lead to nine in the third quarter but the Knicks made the necessary headway in the final period, as an 11-3 run consisting entirely of points from Towns narrowed the gap to two before Mikal Bridges hit an equalizer that set the stage for a thrilling, if not offensively-challenged, finale.

Alas for New York, Bridges' double turned out to be the final points on the ledger before the hosting Warriors scored six in a row. Moses Moody sank a two just before the shot clock let out on the next possession to create a permanent lead before the Knicks were dealt a dagger in the most grimly poetic way possible.

Towns and Co. held Green, and Butler for that matter, in check for most of the game but the former came through when it mattered most: Green got to the line for two successful free throws after Gary Payton II knocked the ball out of Towns' hands.

Another Payton steal, this one off an intercepted Miles McBride inbounds pass, led to a winner from Green, who drove past Towns to bank in the final blow, leading to raised volume from the Bay Area crowd. In his celebration, Green engaged in Curry's famous "Night Night" gesture as the Knicks were forced to call a timeout and turn the game into a free throw contest.

Mar 15, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) shoots a layup against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

With the win, Golden State secured its first two-game sweep of the Knicks since the 2018-19 campaign. To highlight the missing impact of Jalen Brunson, the Warriors held the Knicks scoreless on six consecutive possessions while they secured the final margin.

OG Anunoby had 23 points while falling one rebound short of a double-double while Bridges and Miles McBride had 19 tallies each. Josh Hart had seven assists and rebounds but was held scoreless in a Knicks game where he played at least 20 minutes for the first time since December 2023.

Following their five-game road trip, the Knicks briefly return to Madison Square Garden, where they'll face the reeling Miami Heat on Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).

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