Role player's career night sinks Golden State Warriors to third-straight home loss
The Golden State Warriors' home struggles have continued, with their season placed further under pressure after a 119-112 defeat to the New York Knicks at Chase Center on Monday night.
After giving up the first eight points and not scoring themselves for nearly four minutes, the Warriors never led in a Knicks wire-to-wire victory. Golden State had few answers for star guard Jalen Brunson, but it was Miles McBride's scoring outburst that continued to sum up the Warriors' season.
Miles McBride's career night pushes the Golden State Warriors back to 10th in the Western Conference after another disappointing loss
Having entered the game averaging 6.5 points in 15 minutes on the season, McBride played the entire first-half and scored 19 points as the Knicks took a six-point lead despite a late fightback from the hosts.
The 23-year-old would play all but 90 seconds in the game, smashing his previous career-best of 21 with 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting including 6-of-9 from three-point range. The backcourt duo of he and Brunson would combine for 63 points, with the All-Star recording a game-high 34 points to go with five rebounds and seven assists.
In contrast, Warrior superstar Stephen Curry battled his way to 27 points on 8-of-20 shooting and 4-of-13 from beyond the arc. The two-time MVP particularly struggled in the fourth, with Golden State limited to 17 points in the final nine minutes after reducing the Knicks lead to four early in the final period.
The Warriors played in spurts but never with the sustained intensity or execution to beat a short-handed but incredibly disciplined New York outfit. Rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis was arguably the team's best, recording 19 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and three blocks in just under 26 minutes.
The chemistry between Jackson-Davis and Klay Thompson continued to thrive, with the pair combining on countless occasions as the veteran sharpshooter dished out a season-high eight assists to go with 18 points off the bench.
Jonathan Kuminga had an efficient 16 points but provided little outside his scoring, while Andrew Wiggins was largely non-existent with just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting. New York had two more offensive rebounds and three less turnovers, numbers that would prove crucial in the seven-point victory.
The loss relegates the Warriors back to 10th in the Western Conference ahead of another home game against the Memphis Grizzles on Wednesday.