Opening flurry is enough as Warriors grab 7th straight road win
Golden State started hot and never looked back.
The Golden State Warriors entered Madison Square Garden on Thursday night knowing they had a chance to build 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 win over the Washington Wizards, the Dubs were gifted a New York Knicks team that was not only reeling, but playing without Julius Randle and OG Anunoby.
Golden State wasted no time getting down to business. Steph Curry, mired in one of the worst three-game shooting slumps of his career, drilled a three on the opening possession. A minute later, Moses Moody — starting for the absent Andrew Wiggins — was fouled and split the free throws. Curry dropped in another three on the next possession, and 28 seconds later Jonathan Kuminga laid the ball in uncontested.
It was a 9-0 lead and New York needed a timeout.
Immediately out of the timeout? Kuminga blocked Isaiah Hartenstein’s shot and Curry drilled a third three. Before long, Kuminga added another layup.
It was 14-0. And it wasn’t until the 6:34 mark that former Warrior Donte DiVincenzo broke the ice for the Knicks with a layup.
From that point on, the teams played almost perfectly even. Which was all the Warriors needed. They pushed the lead up to 22-5 before New York started to answer, firing off an 11-2 run. But even with the Knicks starting to make shots after a stifling first quarter defensive effort by the Dubs, it was still 31-19 Golden State after the first quarter. Curry had dropped in 11 points and a stunning seven rebounds, and the Warriors were firmly in control.
The rest of the game simply went back and forth, with New York threatening a few times but never fully closing the gap. The Knicks had an early second-quarter rally, but the Warriors answered with an 8-0 run. Things got chippy, physical, and a little bloody, and New York had another 11-2 run to pull within six. The Warriors answered back and, even with Draymond Green fouling DiVincenzo on a desperation three at the buzzer, Golden State led 55-46 at the half.
The third quarter was nearly 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 got close to tying the game. Golden State again answered, with Klay Thompson dropping in 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 falling apart, as the Chris Paul-led bench unit pushed the lead to 15 points yet again. And, to the surprise of no one, the Knicks immediately answered with a 9-0 run. As we neared the halfway mark and Curry and Green returned, New York pulled to within four points. It seemed we’d get a close game, but the Dubs were having none of it. Aided by a few missed shots from New York, some key offensive rebounds, and some offensive brilliance courtesy of Curry and Kuminga, the Warriors once again pushed the lead to double digits, earning a whole one minute of garbage time.
The final score? 110-99. The final tally? Seven consecutive road wins.
Curry and Kuminga led the way, with the former dropping in 31 points and 11 rebounds on 11-for-26 shooting and the latter with 25 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks on 12-for-19 shooting. Moody, Green, and Brandin Podziemski provided the defensive backbone for the starting lineup, which handled business all game long.
They won’t get much time to celebrate the win though: the Dubs have to hop on a flight and pull out their passports, as they face the Toronto Raptors on Friday evening at 4:30 p.m. PT.