The New York Knicks fought to compete in the first half, but the Golden State Warriors put forth a dominant effort in the second half.
- New York Knicks 95 (10-31)
- Golden State Warriors 122 (27-14)
- NBA, Final, Box Score
- Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
The Golden State Warriors are still the Golden State Warriors. The New York Knicks hung around for much of the first half, but during the last few minutes, the Warriors began to pull away.
After the two teams emerged from halftime, the Warriors did what they do best — dominate the third quarter. During the Warriors dynasty, they’ve had a knack for jumping on teams after halftime. It’s become a hallmark of their historic run and the Knicks couldn’t keep pace like many others before.
This loss is understandable. The Warriors have yet to hit their full stride this year, but they are still the clear favorite to win another title. There’s no denying that.
On Tuesday, they looked like the best version of themselves. Klay Thompson, despite his struggles this season, erupted for 43 points on 18-for-29 shooting from the field. Durant pitched in with 24 points of his own. Draymond Green only made one basket, but he grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, and played stifling defense. Stephen Curry had an off night shooting — he was 5-for-19 from the field and 3-for-12 from deep. But Curry chipped in with 14 assists for good measure.
Back-to-back buckets by 1️⃣1️⃣
? @nbcsauthentic pic.twitter.com/z0uWhX9z47
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 9, 2019
Automatic.#SPLASH? No. 6 & 7 of the night for Klay
? https://t.co/sab97qqtZm ? pic.twitter.com/RJyTIv7HGY
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 9, 2019
Three assists in under a minute?#StephGonnaSteph ¯_(ツ)_/¯
? @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/SdGwbWIjZ6
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 9, 2019
There weren’t many bright spots in this game for the Knicks, but Mario Hezonja was one of them. Although much of his production came in garbage time, Hezonja finished with a season-high 19 points on an efficient 7-for-12 from the floor. He added in six rebounds and three steals for good measure. Tuesday night’s game marked Hezonja’s third-straight game scoring in double figures.
It’s hard to give the Knicks a hard time after this one. They played the NBA’s two-time defending champions on the last night of their grueling six-game road trip — their longest of the season. Furthermore, the Knicks are banged up without Mitchell Robinson and Frank Ntilikina in the lineup.
The Knicks finish the road trip with a record of 1-5, their only win coming against the Los Angeles Lakers who were playing without LeBron James. The Knicks have now lost 15 of their last 17 games and the team couldn’t be more relieved to head home.
The Knicks have two nights off before they host the Indiana Pacers at home on Friday. It will be the third of four meetings Indiana and New York have. The Pacers took the first two meetings and the Knicks will look to take a step towards evening the season series.
.@T_HardJR startin' early pic.twitter.com/1vu3AKzG0E
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
.@KevKnox showin' the handles off pic.twitter.com/ByTYphKWZA
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
.@NoahVonleh with the ? assist pic.twitter.com/PFxYCJO7mD
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
.@emmanuelmudiay slidin' through pic.twitter.com/e8aBhOvuY5
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
.@TreyBurke gettin' to it pic.twitter.com/P2p3vlPLTZ
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
.@ISO_ZO from https://t.co/l8g4nIXfUi. pic.twitter.com/13RzP0mdHI
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
.@NoahVonleh got the hook ? pic.twitter.com/Jt7xLkpv3a
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
Not up in here ❌ pic.twitter.com/bVzrV1X0il
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
Smooth. pic.twitter.com/JH1ZL7OWy1
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
