On Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors knew they had an opportunity to gain momentum when they stepped into Madison Square Garden. With six road victories in a row, they were among the top NBA teams in February. The Washington Wizards defeated the Dubs to start a four-game road trip, but the team that followed was not only struggling but also without Julius Randle and OG Anunoby.
Golden State got right to work without any delays. Despite being in the midst of one of his worst shooting slumps ever, Steph Curry made a three-pointer on the first possession. After a minute, Moses Moody, filling in for Andrew Wiggins, was fouled and missed the free throw. On the following possession, Curry added another three points, and 28 seconds later, Jonathan Kuminga lay in the pass unopposed.
With a 9-0 advantage, New York required a timeout.
As soon as the timeout ends? After Kuminga stopped Isaiah Hartenstein’s shot, Curry made a third three-pointer. Kuminga quickly added another layup.
The score was 14-0. And it wasn’t until Donte DiVincenzo, a former Warrior, broke the tension for the Knicks with a basket at 6:34.
The teams played practically perfectly even after that. Which the Warriors did not require. Before New York could respond, they increased their lead to 22–5, with an 11-2 run. But even with the Knicks beginning to shoot following the Dubs’ oppressive first-quarter defence, the score at the end of the first quarter was still 31-19 Golden State. With Curry’s impressive seven rebounds and 11 points, the Warriors were well in control.
For the remainder of the game, New York made a few threats but was never able to close the deficit. The Warriors responded with an 8-0 run after the Knicks mounted an early surge in the second quarter. After a tense, aggressive, and rather violent exchange, New York managed to close the gap with another 11-2 run. The Warriors fought back, and at halftime, Golden State lead 55-46 despite Draymond Green fouling DiVincenzo on a desperate three-point attempt at the buzzer.
The third quarter was almost the same. The Dubs extended their lead to 15 points once more as the sides traded baskets. The Knicks then embarked on a run and came dangerously close to tying the game under the direction of DiVincenzo and his college colleagues Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. Once more, Golden State responded, as Klay Thompson made a layup with just a second left to give the Warriors a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter is well-known for what transpires. Once again, the Chris Paul-led bench unit extended the advantage to 15 points, giving the Warriors hope that they would not crumble. To everyone’s amazement, the Knicks responded right away with a 9-0 run. With the half approaching and Curry and Green back, New York closed the gap to four points. Although it appeared like the game would be close, the Dubs were not having any of it. With the help of a few missed jumpers by New York, some crucial offensive rebounds, and some outstanding play from Curry and Kuminga, the Warriors extended their advantage to double digits once more and were awarded a full minute of garbage time.
110-99 was the final score. The total at the end? Seven wins in a row on the road.
Leading the way were Curry and Kuminga, who each scored 31 points and pulled down 11 rebounds on 11 of 26 shots and 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 12 of 19 shots. The starting lineup’s defensive core was supplied by Moody, Green, and Brandin Podziemski, and they handled business the whole game.
