Draymond Green gets his triple-double this time, Warriors roll in NY
NEW YORK
The shooting and passing weren't good, though apparently coach Steve Kerr's clipboard toss was impressive.
"He broke the clipboard, then threw it," Draymond Green corrected.
Either way, Kerr had no reason to be mad much longer.
Klay Thompson woke the Warriors from their slowest start of the season with 17 of his 34 points in the second quarter, Green tied the franchise record with his ninth triple-double and Golden State beat the New York Knicks 116-95 on Sunday night for its seventh straight victory.
Green made all nine shots as the Warriors (44-4) wrapped up January at 40 games over .500 even with a quiet 13 points from Stephen Curry. Playing with a nasty cut on his forehead, he was 5 for 17 from the field on a court where he once scored 54 points.
Green finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Warriors, held to a season-low 18 points in the first quarter. They charged back with 64 over the middle two quarters -- the Knicks had only 65 through three -- and looked back to normal after a sluggish win Saturday in Philadelphia.
Green, who leads the NBA in triple-doubles, matched Hall of Famer Tom Gola's total from the 1959-60 season.
Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost for the fifth time in six games.
"In the third quarter, they just took it to another level of intensity," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. "We were right there and they went to more of a level that they're capable of getting to and got some separation."
A night after managing just 17 points in the fourth quarter and needing Harrison Barnes' 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left to rescue them in a 108-105 victory over the 76ers, Golden State's high-powered offense was still stuck in neutral to open the game. The Knicks ran off 14 straight points, helped by eight Warriors turnovers in the period, and led 20-18.
"Coach Kerr got on us pretty good," Thompson said of the clipboard toss to start the second quarter.
"He was very animated on the sideline and we responded well to it. He told us we were playing very embarrassing and just to pick it up."
Despite the Warriors' brilliance, Green said it's not unusual for Kerr to lose his temper.
"You'd be surprised," Green said. "He expects perfection and we're never there."
They got pretty close in the second quarter.
The Warriors hit the Knicks with a 14-of-17 onslaught for 37 points -- with Curry not even taking a shot. Thompson, who took only one shot in a scoreless first quarter, was 7 for 8 in the second and finished 14 of 18.
Green, headed to his first All-Star Game, dominated his matchup against Knicks rookie star Kristaps Porzingis, who committed two fouls and headed to the bench 90 seconds into the game.
The Knicks were within 13 early in the fourth before the Warriors put it away with 10 straight points, including Thompson's 3-pointer that made it 102-79.
"They're a championship-level team and that's what they did tonight," Porzingis said.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Andre Iguodala returned after missing his first game of the season Saturday to rest. ... Hall of Famer and former Warriors star Chris Mullin was at the arena to visit his old team. He coached St. John's in its 68-53 loss to No. 6 Villanova earlier Sunday at Madison Square Garden. ... The Warriors play at Washington on Wednesday and visit the White House on Thursday.
Knicks: Starting point guard Jose Calderon missed his third straight game with a sore right groin. Fisher said the Knicks hope he can play Tuesday against Boston, but it's more likely he won't return until Thursday or Friday. ... The Knicks have lost 20 of the last 26 meetings.
THAT'S MORE LIKE IT
Green was hard on himself after Saturday's game, saying he played out of character by chasing a triple-double (he finished one assist shy) at the expense of the Warriors' offense. He got his numbers Sunday in the flow of the game.
"You start to do what I did yesterday, it doesn't work out," he said. "So I was kind of happy I didn't get it yesterday because I didn't deserve it."
SPORTSMAN SPECTATORS
Athletes from other sports in the crowd included John McEnroe (tennis), Jim Furyk (golf), Matt Harvey (baseball) and Rashad Jennings (football).
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit Washington on Wednesday.
Knicks: Host Boston on Tuesday.
