This is a continuation of the halftime recap of the Golden State Warriors at the New York Knicks.
The Warriors took a 55-49 lead into halftime.
3rd Quarter – Warriors Shoot 61%
Stephen Curry stole the ball twice early on in the third period, with the second one resulting in a flip pass to Klay Thompson beyond the left arc for three, and Knicks head coach Derek Fisher called a timeout as the Warriors stretched their lead to 60-49 with 10:06 to go:
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Out of the timeout, Klay stayed hot, getting right post fade-away jumper over the shorter Langston Galloway, then a layup on a cut, assisted by Andrew Bogut.
But after Curry danced past New York’s perimeter, only to get blocked again by Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo converted a layup in transition and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called timeout, not likely how the defense got back and sensing some loss of focus akin to the near-loss last night at Philadelphia.
The Warriors, however, righted themselves and went on a tear from the field.
Green started things off with a triple from the top assisted by Andrew Bogut, initiated by Curry and Thompson wheeling around Bogut at the top.
Kristaps Porzingis answered with a three, but Draymond stepped past Porzingis on the next possession for a layup down the right side.
Andre Iguodala got a fade-away to drop after a lob pass from Thompson, Green went down the left side this time for a two-handed dunk past Porzingis again, Klay curl around a screen for a catch-and-shoot swish inside the arc, Shaun Livingston hit a face-up jumper over Porzingis, and Thompson got a catch-and-shoot triple from the left side, freeing up after the off-ball left block screen from Iguodala:
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The only hiccup to Klay’s game was his fourth personal foul pushing off on a cut, but Leandro Barbosa drained a left-side jumper in his absence, Draymond’s ninth assist, and the Warriors’ blistering shooting proved too much for the Knicks, who couldn’t respond enough times, as Golden State took an 82-65 lead into the final frame.
By the end of the third, the Warriors were shooting 61% from the field, with Thompson 11-for-14.
4th Quarter – Draymond Notches Another One
The Warriors’ bench unit got the fourth quarter off on the right foot as Livingston spun from the right block and got a dunk.
Later, Iguodala hit a three, giving Golden State 11 made triples on 19 tries.
But a Carmelo Anthony jumper capped a 9-0 run and, suddenly, New York made the game a respectable 89-76 after Curry checked back in.
However, as if right on cue, Steph buried a three:
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Sasha Vujecic answered with an “and-one” jumper against Curry, but after that, Thompson got a layup, which was Draymond’s tenth assist.
Later, Anthony missed, Green got the rebound, outlet to Steph, and Curry immediately found Barbosa wide open from the left corner in transition.
Barbosa’s three gave the Warriors a 97-79 lead and Fisher called another timeout with 6:24 to go.
Out of the timeout, Draymond got a putback, his tenth rebound of the night to give him nine triple-doubles on the season, then after Derrick Williams missed a turnaround, Curry got the rebound, advanced the ball, and fed Klay at the deep right wing, about 27 feet away.
Thompson launched on the catch and drained it to put the Warriors up, 102-79, but Afflalo answered immediately with a three from the top.
Vujecic drew Klay’s fifth foul on an “and-one” drive from the top to trim the Golden State lead to 103-85, but Anthony checked out with 4:04 remaining as Fisher effectively waved the white flag.
Thompson led all scorers with 34 points on a scorching 15-for-18 shooting, 6-for-7 beyond the arc, while Green tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Curry sat the fourth period and only scored 13 points on 5-for-17 field, 3-for-11 downtown, but also collected a nasty gash on the forehead, probably on this defense by Anthony:
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Off the bench, Livingston was a highly efficient 4-for-4 for 11 points again.
Anthony led the Knicks with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and Porzingis collected 14 points, 6 rebounds.
The Warriors (44-4) head to the nation’s capital to face the Washington Wizards in three nights.
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