Knicks squander double-digit lead in frustrating 114-102 loss to Warriors

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The Knicks were unable to extend their winning streak to four games on Tuesday night, as they fell to the Golden State Warriors, 114-102, at Madison Square Garden.

Here are the takeaways…

— New York shared some discouraging news just a few hours before tip-off, as Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out due to personal reasons. The superstar center entered Tuesday listed as questionable, and to make matters worse, head coach Tom Thibodeau expressed uncertainty on Towns’ status for the team’s upcoming five-game road trip that begins on Thursday.

— While the Knicks allowed the Warriors to post eight unanswered points within the first two minutes of play, it didn’t take long for them to find a groove. They quickly erased the small deficit, making seven of their first eight shots to take a 15-14 lead midway through the opening quarter. From there, both teams exchanged a handful of buckets, which kept New York’s lead to a single point through 12 minutes.

— Despite having a thin-ish bench, Thibodeau still stretched the Knicks’ rotation to nine by the start of the second quarter. With some help from the second-stringers — and some bitter-cold shooting from Golden State — New York extended its lead to nine by the eight-minute mark. But consecutive Warriors threes with 7:14 left cut their deficit to four and forced a Knicks timeout.

— The break in action didn’t shift momentum. By the final minute of the first half, the Knicks pushed their lead to double-digits for the first time, and it was naturally Jalen Brunson who served as the catalyst with a team-high 17 points at the break. What kept the Warriors behind through 24 minutes was rough three-point shooting — they made only 5 of 23 attempts.

— Whatever was said inside the Warriors’ locker room at halftime sparked a quick turnaround, as Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler contributed to a 17-7 run that suddenly wiped their deficit and placed the Knicks behind, 64-62, with 7:31 left in the third quarter. New York’s transition defense was at fault — they allowed 11 fast-break points in the period.

— Luckily for the Knicks, they weren’t perturbed by the Warriors’ wake-up call….

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/knicks-squander-double-digit-lead-030707120.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2025-03-05 03:07:00

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