New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis, Ron 'Burgundy' Baker put forth great effort in loss to dominant Warriors (Highlights)
Mar 5, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) drives the ball past New York Knicks shooting guard Ron Baker (31) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks are better when Kristaps Porzingis plays well, and Ron Baker plays. It still didn’t help them against the Warriors. 

  • Golden State Warriors 112 (51-11)
  • New York Knicks 105 (25-38)
  • NBA, Final, Box Score

The New York Knicks should get an A-plus for effort in their loss on Sunday to the Golden State Warriors. Kristaps Porzingis and Ron Baker were excellent in defeat.

Porzingis scored 24 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and blocked 2 two shots. The ball just moves better when Baker is in the game. He posted 9 points and dished out only 1 dime, but the team was plus-10 when Burgundy was on the court.

Derrick Rose may have put up better numbers (28 points on 9 of 18 shooting) than his backup, but his defense is always a killer. The guy just can’t guard the elite guards like Stephen Curry.

Curry had his way with the Knicks, scoring 31 points on five 3-point shots. The Splash Brothers (Curry and shooting guard Klay Thompson) combined for 60 points on nine 3s. Thompson had 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the Warriors victory.

Key Player

Willy Hernangomez posted 8 points and 5 rebounds in only 14 minutes. He’s clearly still nursing his ankle injury that kept him out of Friday night’s game.

Key Stats

The Knicks (47.0 percent) outshot the Warriors (45.5 percent) and outscored them in the paint 48-44. If they put up this kind of effort against teams that aren’t the Warriors, they can win on a more regular basis.

Up Next: The Knicks play at the Orlando Magic on Monday, March, 6, at 7:00 p.m. ET.

 
I'm ESNY's Executive Editor for EliteSportsNY.com. I cover the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. Email: chip.murphy@elitesportsny.com Chip Murphy covers the NBA for Elite Sports NY. You can find him on Twitter @ChipperMurphy.