BOX score
Stephen Curry overcame his mini-shooting fear and scored 31 points with eight 3-pointers to keep the Warriors going with a 110-99 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday.
Curry posted a double-double in the first half and finished with 11 rebounds, helping the Warriors to their 12th win in 15 games.
Jonathan Kuminga had 25 points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the Warriors (31-27). Klay Thompson added 16 points and five rebounds. Draymond Green had seven points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Chris Paul contributed 11 points, six assists and three steals.
Golden State, a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for ninth place in the Western Conference, never trailed despite an inconsistent offensive night but made up for it with one of its better defensive games of the season.
The Knicks (35-25), No. 4 in the East, shot 36.8 percent from the floor and had 12 turnovers.
The Warriors won their second straight without Andrew Wiggins, who is away from the team for personal reasons. Moses Moody started in Wiggins' absence and scored eight points with four rebounds.
Here are the takeaways from Thursday's game at Madison Square Garden:
The quick start sets the tone
The Warriors set the tone early, opening the second stop of this road trip with a dominant 14-0 run that could have and probably should have been bigger. That early rush, Golden State's longest start to a game since 1977-78, galvanized the Knicks and tied the second-longest opening rush in the NBA during the 2023-24 season.
Curry led the charge, hitting his first three 3-pointers, while Moody took a pass from Green under the basket, made a pump fake, then scored and was fouled. The three-point play gave Golden State a 20-4 lead.
The Knicks, scoreless in the first six minutes of the game, went on a run and got within 55-46 at halftime when former Warrior Donte DiVincenzo made two of three free throw attempts after being fouled by Green with a tenth on second left in the second quarter.
That fast start was crucial as the Knicks controlled much of the second half and got within 89-85 in the fourth quarter before Kuminga helped the Dubs pull away.
Steph recovers
So much for Curry being tired and exhausted.
The two-time MVP, whose shooting technique hadn't worked in the last two games, found his rhythm early and never let up. The fact that it took place at Madison Square Garden is certainly no surprise. Curry's light has always shone brightest in the Big Apple, where he has had some of his most brilliant games in the past.
This time it was another classic performance from the Warriors' top shooter.
Curry scored 11 of his points in the first quarter and grabbed seven rebounds, the most he has had in any quarter of his career. By halftime, he had posted a double-double and was 11 of 26 shots.
That should allay any worries and fears about Curry's stamina. As he pointed out a few days ago, there will be ups and downs in every season, and the downs are made even greater when they happen to a player of Curry's caliber. It looks like it's on the upswing again now.
Fight for the boards
The game was a duel between two of the best rebounding teams in the NBA. This time the Knicks had the upper hand with a lead of 67-62.
New York, second in the NBA in offensive rebounds, was ahead here too, but was unable to sufficiently capitalize on the additional scoring opportunities.
Part of that was thanks to Golden State's defense, which made up for most of the team's mistakes elsewhere. That alone is an encouraging sign for this team as the season enters its final months.
