Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors
Where: Oracle Arena
TV: MSG Network (10:30 pm)
Knicks Report (13-51)
The Knicks look to keep up their strong play in tonight's rematch with the NBA's best record. After a misstep in Denver to start the current five-game Western Conference road trip, Derek Fisher's squad bounced back the next night with a win against its coach's former team in Los Angeles.
Tim Hardaway Jr. returned to action against the Lakers after missing the first two games of the trip with back spasms, and the second-year guard showed no signs of rust while pouring in 22 points, going 5 of 7 from downtown. Alexey Shved turned in another complete offensive performance, scoring points, pulling down 11 boards and dishing out 6 assists.
The Knicks protected the paint, blocking nine shots as a team, and shared the ball on offense (27 assists) to overcome Los Angeles' rally attempts. The win snapped a five-game losing streak.
Warriors Report (51-13)
Golden State lost to Denver last night, but missing from its lineup on the first night of a back-to-back were some big names, including: Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Bogut. Simply put, the Warriors are threatening to finish this season as one of the NBA's all-time great teams, thanks to incredible balance on both ends of the floor and quality depth up and down the roster.
They currently rank 1st in defensive rating and 3rd in offensive efficiency, and have no shortage of individual matchup advantages on any given night; Curry (23.6 points and 7.8 assists and a league-leading 2.1 steals per game) is a leading contender for NBA Most Valuable Player and Draymond Green has emerged as one of the league's most dynamic weapons, capable of stretching the floor, facilitating offense and guarding multiple different positions.
Steve Kerr has opened up the attack in his first season as head coach, giving Thompson (43 percent from 3) and Curry (42%) the green light to terrorize opponents from beyond the arc. Golden State ranks first in the league in assists, so they are able to create high-quality looks and are more than capable of knocking them down.
Game Notes
Quincy Acy (personal reasons) did not play against the Lakers and is questionable for tonight. Jose Calderon (strained Achilles) has missed the last seven games...The Knicks did a good job containing Curry and Thompson in the teams' first meeting, at MSG back on February 7th; the "Splash Brothers" combined to shoot 13-for-40 from the field as New York fought back to scare the Warriors before falling, 106-92.