The New York Knicks won at Madison Square Garden 110-107 against the Golden State Warriors with eight players missing and without Stephen Curry after overcoming a 21-point deficit thanks to a huge performance by Jalen Brunson, who scored 30 points.
The Knicks star commanded the Knicks’ long-suffering and tight victory by doing everything this Sunday. He contributed 30 points with 9 of 20 field goals, distributed 9 assists, grabbed 1 rebound, stole 2 balls and made 1 block.
Despite the Warriors’ defeat – their fifth in a row – MSG is a venue that they have been particularly good at recently. The Californian team has emerged victorious from ‘the Mecca of basketball’ on ten of the last twelve occasions.
The Knicks faced a version of the Warriors very burdened by casualties. One of them was Curry, who turned 38 on Saturday. The Golden State star continues to recover from a right knee injury he suffered on January 30.
In addition to their franchise player, the Warriors were also without Curry’s little brother, Seth Curry, as well as Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody or Kristaps Porzingis.
Despite the fact that the match started out even in the opening moments, Golden State took the lead with a slight advantage that was expanded during the course of the first quarter, where Steve Kerr’s team led 21-35.
The Californians led New York by up to 21 points in the second quarter, with the leadership, especially, of Quinten Post. The Dutch center scored 22 points – the highest score of his career, above his previous mark of 20 – and scored 4 triples, the most of the game.
However, the Knicks reacted and got back into the game, trailing by 9 points at halftime at 45-54 thanks to a very choral version of the team. Players like OG Anunoby (14 goals), Landry Shamet (10) and Jordan Clarkson (14) scored double figures.
Although Golden State continued to maintain its lead after leaving the locker room, each time the Knicks and the home crowd at Madison Square Garden pushed harder, while the Warriors players were running out of steam.
The NY Knicks comeback
With 15 minutes left, the Knicks managed to tie the score at 73-73 and, from there, Mike Brown’s team knew how to compete very well, also supported by a great version of the Dominican Karl-Anthony Towns, who achieved a double-double (17 points and 12 rebounds).
The Knicks grabbed the victory in the final minutes with success from the three-point line and good defense. Mike Brown’s men forced the loss of Golden State in the final moments in which the Californians had possession to take the game to overtime.
The Warriors, despite the defeat, offered a notable performance, with 25 points from Brandin Podziemski, 20 from Gui Santos and 19 from Gary Payton II.
On behalf of New York, Puerto Rican Jose Alvarado, born in Brooklyn, contributed 4 points, 4 assists and 1 rebound in 15 minutes on the court.
The Knicks (44-25) remain third in the East behind the Pistons and the Celtics and ahead of the Cavaliers, who are hot on their heels. Mike Brown’s team faces a favorable immediate schedule, with duels against the Pacers, Nets and Wizards, the last three franchises in the conference.
The Warriors (32-35) remain in the play-in zone without many aspirations to climb positions nor with the fear of leaving the positions that give access to the postseason. The Californians face four more games against teams from the East.
(With a report from Jan Téllez Asensio, from EFE)
