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

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. They posted an 8-0 run in the closing minutes of the third that conveniently didn’t feature Curry on the court as a neutralizer. But seconds before the buzzer sounded, Golden State reclaimed the lead with a three. OG Anunoby made a clear impact with a team-high 22 points entering the fourth quarter.

— The back-and-forth nature carried into the final period, but the Warriors developed a much hotter shooting stroke. By the midway point of the fourth, Anunoby helped cut the Knicks’ deficit down to a point. But the return of Curry to the floor provided a huge boost and silenced The Garden crowd.

— The Knicks’ attempts to match and exceed their opponent’s efforts were fruitless. They missed nine straight shots within a four-plus minute stretch, and by the 2:39 mark, the Warriors held a comfortable 12-point lead that was never in danger. The dagger was a three from Curry on the wing with 1:29 left, and shortly after the shot, Curry issued his sleep celebration.

— Both teams finished the game with similar rebounding and paint-point totals, but double-digit turnovers and cold second-half shooting cost the Knicks a hard-fought win. They committed 14 turnovers that resulted in 23 points for the Warriors. New York also wound up shooting worse from three — they finished a measly 8 of 33 while Golden State made 13 of 37.

— The first-half version of Brunson didn’t show up for the second half. He produced just eight points after halftime, finishing with a somehow unfulfilling 25. Anunoby led the Knicks in scoring with 29 points, while Mikal Bridges added 15.

— Josh Hart was a non-factor on offense, as he scored a scant two points on 1-of-8 shooting with eight rebounds across 33 minutes. With Towns out, Mitchell Robinson received his first start of the season — he contributed seven points and five boards in 15 minutes of action. Precious Achiuwa saw the most playing time among bench players (30 minutes).

Game MVP: Stephen Curry

Curry’s gravitational pull was felt as he scored a team-high 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting with nine assists and seven rebounds. He also improved his career record at The Garden to a laudable 12-1.