Warriors’ Offense Too Hot to Handle for Knicks

Stephen Curry had his way with the Knicks defense again, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his 3rd triple double on the season. Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

There was a lot of hype leading into the game last night, especially considering what happened the last time these two teams met in Madison Square Garden. That night, as we all remember, Stephen Curry set a NBA season high with 54 points, shooting 11-13 from behind the arc and spraying in shots from all over the floor. However, the Golden State Warriors weren’t able to pull out a victory, so as great as the night was, it was hard to view it as team success.

After the first quarter of this game, it was clear that history wasn’t going to repeat itself. The Warriors had tied a season high for points in the first quarter with 38, and had a comfortable 11 point lead. Curry got off to a great start with 12 first quarter points, including two 3-pointers, but the Warriors offense as a whole was humming on all cylinders. Although Curry was “on pace” for 48 points, with how the game was going there was no way he was going to get enough minutes to reach 50 again.

However, Curry still had his mind set on reaching another Madison Square Garden achievement. Curry had 12 points, four assists and two rebounds after one quarter, and going into halftime he was on pace for a triple double, with 20 points, seven assists and five boards. He would reach that milestone with ease, and sitting the whole fourth quarter and finishing with 27 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds, all of which led the team.

Curry wasn’t the only one on the court yesterday. While he had a share in most of the Warriors offense, the rest of the team played great as well. Klay Thompson put up an efficient 25 points on 17 shots, Jermaine O’Neal maintained his rejuvinated form with 15 points and 6 rebounds, and Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala did a magnificent job on Carmelo Anthony, forcing him to a 7-of-26 shooting night. Overall, every player that touched the court finished with a positive +/- and the game was never really in doubt.

Random Observations

• With Curry’s triple double last night, he became only the second visiting player to have both a triple-double and a 5o-point game at Madison Square Garden (joining LeBron James). It was also Curry’s third triple double on the season, second in the league behind Lance Stephenson’s league-leading four
• Andre Iguodala continues his poor shooting, going only 2-for-8 last night against the porous Knicks defense. He went 0-for-2 on threes as well, making him 4-for-39 in his last 14 games from behind the arc. It’s safe to say that his hot shooting start has ended, and teams aren’t even respecting him from behind the arc anymore.
• Tyson Chandler was ejected in the fourth quarter after getting into it multiple times with Marresse Speights. It’s unclear what started the altercations between them, but after they both received double technicals, Chandler kept jawing at Speights and was eventually tossed. There is a lot of built up frustration on the Knicks right now, and Chandler let it get the best of him last night.
• The Steve Blake acquisition is looking better and better everyday. In the beginning of the season, when the Warriors had big leads, the bench would consistently give up leads and force the starters back in the game. Blake was having none of that last night as he led the unit in the fourth quarter, never letting the Knicks back in the game. Even though it might not show up on the stat sheet, his presence on the floor is something the bench desperately needed and Bob Myers hit the nail on the head with this acquisition.

What’s On Deck

The Warriors will continue their 6 game road trip on Sunday at 1 pm Pacific against the surging Toronto Raptors. The Raptors own one of the best records in the league since the New Year going 18-11, including 11-3 at home. They will be coming off a heartbreaking triple overtime 134-129 loss to the Washington Wizards, and will be looking to avenge the 27 point comeback the Warriors had against them earlier in the year.