Golden State Warriors Start Slow but Come Back to Beat Knicks
By Andrew Ites
The Warriors came out a little sleepy after their five-game road trip ended with a loss to Houston. But their ball movement improved after the first quarter, and they started to hit shots.
Golden State dug themselves into a 31-21 hole in the first quarter. Their slow start was due to a combination of missing open shots and not taking the Knicks seriously as Kristaps Porzingis was on the bench with a sore knee.
The Warriors went into halftime down by two points after not holding a lead for the entire first half. Their shooting improved dramatically in the second half as they went 8/12 from the three-point line.
Kevin Durant had an outstanding night with 14 points and 14 assists, but he was forced to hit the showers early after receiving his second technical foul in the fourth quarter.
Steph Curry was the star of the show as he dropped 32 points, shooting 8/15 from three, and dished out 7 assists to go along with 6 rebounds.
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Zaza Pachulia put up a surprising 13 points in 14 minutes as he exploited a favorable matchup with Enes Kanter.
The bench was really the difference in the game as the Knicks’ second unit could not keep up with the Warriors.
Kevon Looney continued to provide solid minutes off the bench as he put up 8 points on 4/5 shooting with 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 15 minutes. David West and Shaun Livingston also had strong nights as they combined for 21 points.
Golden State ended the night with 40 assists on 46 made field goals as their ball movement looked as good as it has all season.
The Warriors are talented enough to come out with a blowout victory after a disappointing first quarter, but let’s try not to make that a habit moving forward.
Next: Could the Warriors Benefit by Making a Move at the Trade Deadline?