New York Knicks Fends Off Golden State Warriors in Close 110-107 Final to Notch Third Straight Win

Jacob Perrine
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Lj Cryer (18) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden.

Well, it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but the New York Knicks were able to pull out a narrow win over the short-handed Golden State Warriors to stay in firm contention for the top seed in the Eastern Conference on Saturday night in Madison Square Garden.

Knicks Rally from Huge Deficit Behind Second-Half Explosion

It was a rough start for the Knicks in tonight’s game, as they went down by as much as 21 points in the first half as the Warriors’ defense shut them down early. New York would quickly wake up from their offensive stupor after halftime, as they dropped 38 points in the 3rd quarter, and would outscore the Warriors 65-53 in the second half to pull out the close win. The 21-point comeback was the largest comeback for the Knicks this season.

Of course, the Knicks’ rally were once again led by franchise superstar Jalen Brunson, who posted an excellent game in the win. Brunson finished with a game-high 30 points while also dishing out 9 assists. Brunson has turned his offensive game up a notch over the past week, as tonight marked the 5th straight game that Brunson has scored over 24 points. The former Villanova Wildcat is currently ranked 9th in the NBA this season in points per game at 26 points per contest.

The Knicks would need every bit of Brunson’s offensive production, as the team would receive a mixed bag on that end of the floor from other players. Thankfully for New York, both Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson would provide enough support in the win. Towns would notch another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Clarkson would be a flamethrower off the bench with 14 points in just 22 minutes of play.

Warriors Continue to be Competitive in Curry’s Absence

Although it’s been an up-and-down last two months for the Warriors with franchise legend Stephen Curry being sidelined with a persistent right knee injury, Golden State has played well without him in the lineup. Much of the reason for the impressive play is thanks to the continued growth of Brandin Podziemski, as well as some surprises from players like Gui Santos. Podziemski finished tonight’s game with 25 points, while Santos posted a near triple-double of 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.

The Warriors had a productive night on offense overall, as they shot 48% from the field and knocked down 14 threes on an efficient 37% clip in the game. The two biggest areas that the Warriors struggled with that led to the loss were their poor ball security and rebounding. Golden State would commit 18 turnovers, which led directly to 22 points for the Knicks, and would be outrebounded by a sizable 44-35 margin.

It’s been a rough month so far for the Warriors, as tonight’s game marked their 5th straight loss. This latest loss gives Golden State just a 1-7 record so far in March. If the Warriors want to get back on track and hopefully make the playoffs, they will have to hope Curry comes back in tip-top shape to help make that push. Golden State is currently projecting Curry to return to the starting lineup on March 21 for the Warriors’ game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Knicks Still in Play for Number One Seed in the East

While it was hard to imagine this Knicks team being anywhere near contending for the top spot in the East just a month ago, New York has narrowed that gap significantly over the past few weeks. This latest win keeps the Knicks just 5 games back of the Detroit Pistons for the number one seed, and also just a game behind the Boston Celtics for the 2nd-place spot as well.

For the Warriors, a play-in spot is all that’s guaranteed for them at this point, as there is currently no foreseeable path for Golden State to climb the standings out of the play-in tournament. The Warriors are currently 8 games back of the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 6th-place spot in the West. However, Golden State does possess a chance to attain a higher position in the play-in, as they sit just two games back of the Los Angeles Clippers for the 8th-place spot despite their recent struggles.