Stephen Curry once again bussed the Knicks home, bloodied and beaten.
The future unanimous Hall of Famer helped tear down coach Jalen Brunson’s team in the Warriors’ 110-99 victory over MSG on Thursday, giving the Knicks seven losses in nine games and a loss to their fan base. was looking forward to an injured frontcourt.
Curry put on a show from the start, finishing with 31 points and 11 rebounds and watching the Knicks crumble down the stretch.
The Knicks (35-25), suddenly in danger of falling into the play-in spot, brought back Brunson from a neck spasm, but his presence wasn’t enough to revitalize a sluggish offense.
Trailing for the rest of the game, the Knicks shot just 36.8 percent from the field and suffered misfires from rookies Bojan Bogdanovic (0-of-7) and Alec Burks (2-of-6). The Nova trio of Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo combined for 21 of 63 shots.
They managed to cut the gap to seven points with about four minutes left, but then Curry killed off the Knicks with two 3-pointers.
Coach Tom Thibodeau’s team never recovered from a tough start. With Julius Randle and OG Anunoby still out (at least Anunoby was cleared to work on the court Thursday), the Knicks fell into a 14-0 hole in just four minutes, sending many fans into their seats. Curry dominated the Garden earlier. Curry had 11 points and seven boards in the first quarter, tying his career-high for rebounds in a quarter.
His 10 rebounds at halftime were also tied for the most in his long career. The Warriors never let their lead get closer than four points.
There were also dirty tactics by the usual suspects, Draymond Green and Chris Paul.
DiVincenzo, who missed his first eight 3-point shots, was hit in the face by Green’s swung fist as he tried to get the rebound, and the second quarter ended with a nosebleed as he followed up harder than necessary.
No foul was called. Green and DiVincenzo were teammates on the Warriors last season, but the team was thrown into turmoil after Green knocked out Jordan Poole during practice.
At the end of the third quarter, Paul stepped up and lowered his shoulder into Brunson’s face, but Brunson fell to the court holding the grill. Again, no phone calls.
The Warriors (31-27) are rapidly improving after a sluggish start to the season, battling Father Time with key players in their mid-30s (Curry, Klay Thompson, Green, Paul) and young forward Jonathan Riding on the growth of Kuminga and Moses Moody.
Kuminga, a New York City native, scored 25 points in 30 minutes.
The Warriors have won 13 of 16 games, but face an uphill battle to avoid the West Division play-in tournament.
The Knicks are going in a different direction. Plagued by injuries, they are still in fourth place in the East, but are just one game away from seventh place, where they are guaranteed a playoff berth.
It’s getting dangerous.
