Steve Kerr on Thursday praised Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks as “a typical Thibs team,” as they were “defending themselves like crazy” as they “built bases” to re-emerge as the winning ball club.
Those strong words from the three-time NBA championship coach must have meant a lot more after the Knicks opened a four-game Western swing with a strong 119-104 victory over the Kerr’s Warriors in San Francisco. It was his third straight win following a five-game losing streak, reaching his 8-8 record.
“It simply came to our notice then. We can’t feel good, we have to keep working, “Thibodeau said after the game.” It’s a long season. You have to go step by step. There are some things we’ve done well. We’ve had good victories. But we’ve also had some games where we could play much better.
“Therefore, we have to be honest with ourselves and know that there is a lot of work to be done and we are able to improve and do it much better. That is our challenge. “
RJ Barrett scored 18 of his 28 career highs in the first half, while Julius Randle continued to build his All-Star resume with nearly his second triple-double of the season (16 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists). ).
“We just care about ourselves … and we go into every game feeling like we should win the game or give ourselves a chance to win the game,” Randle said after the Knicks improved to 5-4 on the road. “I think we have a good team and we’re playing basketball.”
Backing center Nerlens Noel recorded four of the Knicks’ nine blocked shots, Mitchell Robinson scored all 18 of his points after the break and Alec Burks contributed 11 points in 31 minutes off the bench in his first game since who suffered a sprained ankle on December 27th.
Stephen Curry finished with a maximum of 30 points, but the two-time MVP committed four losses and lost nine of the 14 3-point attempts. Golden State (8-7) played the last two quarters without Draymond Green after getting his second technical foul just before the break.
“A boy like Curry is impossible to protect with a boy. I thought Elfrid [Payton] I’ve done as good a job as possible, “Thibodeau said.” What you’re trying to do is get him to work as hard as he can for everything. He missed a few shots that he probably normally does, and I think when he was abbreviated, we almost loaded him. from the point that Draymond was expelled “.
Reggie Bullock (12 points) nailed three triples in the first four minutes and combined with Barrett for 23 points in the first quarter as the Knicks shot 54.5 percent from the ground and took a 40-yard lead. -31, any quarter of this season.
Curry, the third NBA scorer (28.1 points per game) to enter the game, remained unscored for the first eight minutes until he finally converted a three-point play at the end of the period.
Randle responded with a three-point play for the Knicks, and Curry missed his free kick after Payton (15 points) had hacked him as he exhausted a 26-foot lead beyond the arc. But Payton got a 3 to get a 55-55 tie on the way to a 63-57 Knicks lead in two quarters.
Robinson fell twice and scored the first nine of his 18 points from the second half to the third as the Knicks extended their lead to 89-76 entering the final quarter.
The first of two starting dunks from rookie Obi Toppin and a triple from first-round pick Immanuel Quickley put the Knicks ahead in just 16 minutes in the fourth.
“I said it from the beginning, I love our young guys, especially with their attitude and approach,” Thibodeau said. “Every day they come in with a lot of energy. Some days we make mistakes. But the next day there is the determination to correct mistakes and improve. If we do it every day, we will continue to grow. “