Knicks-Warriors Preview

DAN PIERINGER
Posted Dec 27 2011 9:17PM

One game into their first full season with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, the New York Knicks have already accomplished something they failed to do last season.

With a win in their second game, they would achieve a feat that has eluded them for more than a decade.

After a promising opener, the Knicks look to start a season with consecutive wins for the first time since 1999 on Wednesday night when they visit the Golden State Warriors, who will likely be without star guard Stephen Curry.

New York beat Boston 106-104 on Christmas after going 0-8 against the division rival Celtics last season, including a sweep in the first round of the playoffs.

"It's a long year, but this game was very important for us to get off to a great start," Stoudemire said.

Anthony scored 37 points and Stoudemire added 21, and the pair of All-Stars combined to shoot 18 for 28 from the field and 6 for 9 from 3-point range as the Knicks overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.

"Most importantly for us, as a new team, we showed something," Anthony said. "We came together as a team. Even when we got down, there wasn't no frowns. Nobody was down. Mentally everybody was still up about it, and we willed our way to this win."

Early-season wins have been hard to come by for the Knicks (1-0) in recent years. New York hasn't won its first two games since opening 3-0 in 1999-2000, also the last season it won a playoff series.

The Knicks could have an easier time getting their second victory with Curry expected to rest his injured right ankle. Curry, who missed eight games with ankle problems last season and reinjured his right ankle in the preseason, had 21 points, 10 assists and six steals before landing awkwardly again Monday against Chicago.

"It's frustrating that this keeps coming up," Curry said.

Curry's performance prior to the injury helped Golden State (1-1) bounce back from a season-opening loss with a 99-91 win over the Bulls, giving coach Mark Jackson his first career win.

"I talked to the guys afterwards, and it means something because I dreamt of this moment," said Jackson, a point guard from New York who was the league's Rookie of the Year with the Knicks in 1987-88. "I told the guys I just didn't see the guys in uniform, but I thank God it was them because of their commitment, their focus, and their dedication. I'm extremely proud of that group."

The Warriors, continuing a four-game homestand, went 26-15 at Oracle Arena last season and 10-31 on the road. They had won eight straight at home against the Knicks before falling 125-119 on Nov. 19, 2010, despite Monta Ellis' 40 points.

Anthony was still playing for Denver while New York split two meetings with Golden State last season. He averaged 34.0 points for the Nuggets in two games against the Warriors, and is 19-6 against them in his career.

Former Knicks forward David Lee scored 28 points and 10 rebounds in his first career game against New York last season.

The Knicks, though, fortified their interior defense by trading for Tyson Chandler in the offseason. The 7-foot-1 center blocked six shots in his New York debut.

Ellis rallies Warriors past Knicks, 92-78

Posted Dec 29 2011 2:12AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Mark Jackson didn't see much significance in coaching Golden State to a win against his former team.

It was the way the Warriors beat the New York Knicks that meant the most to Jackson - doing it with a defensive focus that hasn't been seen from this franchise on a consistent basis in more than a decade.

Then again, that's been Jackson's message to his players ever since he was hired in June.

"This is going to be strange to hear: We're a defensive team," Jackson said following Golden State's 92-78 victory Wednesday night. "It's a shocker. Great players are going to come in and have great nights, but our job is make it tough. We had a bad first half offensively, but the defense gave us a chance to win a ballgame."

Golden State definitely made it tough on New York's All-Star duo of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, who combined to go just 8 of 27 from the floor after teaming for 58 points in the Knicks' Christmas Day win over the Boston Celtics.

Stoudemire finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Anthony had 13 points.

"The whole game our offense was awful," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We weren't in synch, we didn't make shots, we turned the ball over and we gave them layups. Whatever kind of mistakes you can make, we made. It was awful."

Monta Ellis shook off a terrible first half to finish with 22 points and eight assists, while Brandon Rush added 19 points off the bench for Golden State (2-1).

Playing without injured guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors led by as much as 19 before cruising to their second straight impressive win over an Eastern Conference team. Two nights earlier they beat the Chicago Bulls 99-91.

Ish Smith had 11 points, four assists and six rebounds while starting in place of Curry, who sat out the game after injuring his surgically repaired ankle against Chicago.

Ellis went just 4 of 15 in the first half but scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, midway through the fourth quarter when Golden State pulled away.

But it was the Warriors' defense that made the biggest difference - a refreshing change considering the team's recent history of shunning that part of the game.

"That's our focus, defense," Ellis said. "Just going out there getting the job done. That's what's keeping us in the game against great teams like this. Our defense kept us in the game and the offense won the game for us."

No one else could pick up the scoring slack for the Knicks, who were also outrebounded 47-31 by the smaller but quicker Warriors.

Landry Fields had 13 of his 14 points in the first half. Bill Walker also scored 14 for the Knicks, who failed in their bid to start the season with consecutive victories for the first time since 1999.

Former Knick David Lee scored 13 points for Golden State (2-1).

This was the first stop on a three-game trip to the West Coast for New York.

The Knicks, who beat the Celtics on Christmas Day to kick off the truncated NBA schedule after losing all eight games to Boston in 2010, play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday. They return to Northern California to face the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

The Warriors played without Curry, who landed awkwardly on his surgically repaired right ankle in the fourth quarter of Monday's win over Chicago.

It was the second time in seven days that Curry injured the ankle. He also missed eight games last season because of lingering ankle problems.

"It was the best thing to give it some time to heal," Jackson said before the game. "Bottom line is he got hurt landing on somebody and we are going to give it some time to heal."

Smith started in place of Curry and scored seven of Golden State's first 10 points. He finished 5 of 13 from the floor.

Anthony and Stoudemire couldn't get much of anything to fall. The duo repeatedly settled for long jumpers, a trend that continued deep into the fourth quarter.

Even with their two stars off to a slow start, the Knicks took a 43-37 lead into the half.

Golden State closed the gap with a 15-5 run early in the second half, tied the game at 64 when Rush made a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter, then took control with 20-6 burst in the fourth.

The Warriors opened a 19-point lead with 4:09 left when the Knicks frustrations began to show. Tyson Chandler tossed Lee to the ground and was whistled for a technical foul, bringing the sold-out crowd at Oracle Arena to its feet.

"I'm not making any excuses, but we're a young team that's coming together and we have to build," said Chandler, who was held to two points and three rebounds. "Unfortunately, we're learning things on the fly."

Notes: The Warriors have agreed to terms with 7-foot-1 free agent center Kyrylo Fesenko on a one-year contract pending Fesenko passing a physical. Fesenko, who spent the past four seasons mostly as a backup with the Utah Jazz, was in Golden State's locker room before the game but neither nor the Warriors can talk about the deal until it is complete. ... The Warriors have sold out the first three games on this four-game homestand. ... Former Golden State guard Jeremy Lin, who signed with the Knicks on Tuesday, entered the game late in the fourth quarter and missed his only shot attempt.

Notebook: Warriors 92, Knicks 78

By Geoff Lepper, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday December 29, 2011 2:20AM

THE FACTS: Monta Ellis had a game-high 22 points and eight assists but it was the Golden State Warriors' defense that made the difference Wednesday in a 92-78 victory against the New York Knicks. The Warriors held New York stars Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony to a combined 29 points on 8-for-27 shooting and scored 23 points off of 15 Knicks turnovers. Brandon Rush added 19 points and six rebounds off the bench for Golden State, which won a second consecutive game against an Eastern Conference contender despite not having point guard Stephen Curry, who sat out with a sprained right ankle.

QUOTABLE: "This is going to be strange to hear, but we are a defensive team. It's a shocker. . . . For the first time I can remember, the defense has given us a chance to win a ball game. The way we defended in the first half put us into position to win the game in the second half."
-- Warriors coach Mark Jackson

THE STAT: The Warriors held the Knicks to just 40 percent shooting from the field on the evening, 26.3 percent (5-for-19) in the fourth quarter when Golden State blew open what had been a tie game after three periods. Anthony, guarded almost exclusively by Warriors reserve Dominic McGuire, missed all four of his field-goal attempts in the quarter. Knicks point guard Toney Douglas went 1-for-5.

TURNING POINT: Through three quarters, the Warriors only had 11 assists on 25 baskets as they struggled to find their way without Curry. As the fourth quarter opened, Golden State suddenly located their missing off-ball movement, scoring on six straight possessions -- with four assists on five field goals -- to craft a 76-68 lead. The Knicks never got any closer than eight points after that.

QUOTABLE II: "I'm not surprised at all. We all have the tools to play defense. We're athletic and we're all young. We just had to buy into it. . . . [Jackson] keeps hammering, 'Defense, defense, defense.'"
-- Brandon Rush

HOT: Ellis was mostly wretched offensively through three quarters, going 4-for-17 from the field. He recovered in the fourth period to salvage his night, coming up with 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting and dishing out six assists as the Knicks' defense collapsed time and again.

NOT: Douglas was matched up against Warriors waiver-wire pickup Ish Smith, who stepped in for Curry, but New York's point guard missed all five of his 3-point attempts and totaled just six points on the night.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Smith, who arrived in Oakland from Memphis less than two weeks ago, provided 11 points, four assists and a career-high six rebounds to help Golden State's attack stay afloat in the early going. Curry said he's aiming for a return Saturday against Philadelphia, but Smith bears watching.

GOOD MOVE: With so many of his perimeter players either absent or rendered ineffective, Mark Jackson had to take a chance after Rush picked up his fourth personal foul with 5:38 remaining in the third quarter. Rush made good on Jackson's trust, avoiding picking up another foul while keying Golden State's defensive efforts.

NOTABLE: An underrated aspect of the game was the fact that Knicks center Tyson Chandler -- who came close to signing with the Warriors before landing in New York earlier this month -- fouled out in just 22 minutes of play. His absence for all but one minute of the fourth quarter allowed Golden State to attack with impunity, and the Warriors went 10-for-15 to close out the game. . . . The Warriors scored 28 points in the paint during the second half, accounting for more than half of their output after intermission. . . . Bill Walker and Landry Fields each had 14 points for the Knicks, although Fields blunted his impact with four turnovers. . . . The Warriors announced a crowd of 19,596, their sixth consecutive sellout dating back to last season. After games against the Clippers, Bulls and Knicks, that streak will be put to the test Saturday, when Golden State hosts an unheralded Philadelphia team.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Saturday vs. Philadelphia, Monday @ Phoenix, Wednesday @ San Antonio. For the Knicks, Thursday @ Lakers, Saturday @ Kings, Monday vs. Toronto.

• Knicks: Davis, Jeffries, Shumpert
• Warriors: Curry

• Knicks: Chandler
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #57 Greg Willard, #28 Tommy Nunez Jr.
• Attendance: 19596
• Duration: 2:16