WATCH: Draymond Green Gets His 9th Triple-Double vs the Knicks
The NBA champion Golden State Warriors dominated the New York Knicks 116-95 at Madison Square Garden Sunday with the help of forward Draymond Green’s ninth triple-double of the season.
Klay Thompson had 32 points and Stephen Curry scored 23 for the Warriors and Draymond Green added 10 points and 13 rebounds. Green had a triple-double with 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Biggest stage: Usually one to showcase his skills under the game’s brightest spotlights, Stephen Curry went into Sunday’s game scoring an average of 25.5 points in 10 games against the Knicks, including making 44 of 77 three-point attempts (57.1 percent).
The seven-win Philadelphia 76ers came back from a 73-54 halftime deficit to tie the Golden State Warriors late in the fourth quarter, but fell short of the win after Harrison Barnes hit a last-second corner three to give Golden State a 108-105 victory.
Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost for the fifth time in six games.
Reserve guard Brandon Jennings led the way for the Pistons with 22 points, while Andre Drummond had 11 points and 12 rebounds for an NBA-leading 39th double-double.
Elsewhere, Miami beat Atlanta to leapfrog the Hawks and go top of the Southeast Division, and Orlando ended a run of eight straight defeats by beating Boston. But the passing was more “fancy” than necessary in the second half; an aura of showboating nearly took over.
Dallas did that thanks to a 23-5 run over the final 9 minutes and gave up its fewest points in the fourth quarter this season, outscoring Phoenix 23-9. If they get a large amount of input from their bench, then they might be able to stay in the game, but the Warriors will be viewing this as a game where they can rest their key players although they won’t want a similar comeback effort as the 76ers did to them. Smith finished with 16 points and nine assists. Only one other opponent this year has held Golden State below 20 points in a quarter twice in the same game.
A 5-0 boost near the end of the second moved the Warriors’ lead to 55-46. Thompson had eight of those points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Following a four-game ATS losing streak that had two straight-up losses, Golden State has returned to its blistering form.
The Knicks are expecting a better outcome after their 128-122 loss to the Thunder in their last matchup. He played very well today: 18 points on 12 possessions used and solid defense on Klay Thompson despite the size and skill deficit.
Aaron Gordon had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Magic, who lost to the Celtics two days earlier.
ROLLING RAPTORS: Toronto has won a franchise-best 11 straight games, but with its home arena getting set to host All-Star weekend, the Raptors will have to try to keep it going on the road.
Knicks: Starting point guard Jose Calderon missed his third straight game with a sore right groin.