The New York Knicks shut down Steph Curry in his return to Madison Square Garden. But only for 24 minutes.
Curry scored 20 of his 28 points after halftime and iced the game with a wide-open three-pointer with 1:30 to go as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Knicks Tuesday night, 114-102. He shot 3-of-11 and scored eight points in the first half, only to explode for 14 points and two steals in the third quarter, erasing the Knicks’ halftime lead.
The Warriors moved to 3-1 on their road trip and continued their stellar play since trading for Jimmy Butler last month. They’re 9-2 since the deal that sent Andrew Wiggins to Miami and three other Warriors to various NBA locales, and 9-1 in games where Butler is in the lineup.
Butler’s box score numbers have been relatively ordinary with Golden State — 16.3 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists — but his presence has opened up the Warriors offense. Butler commands attention from defenses, and his movement off the ball has led to plenty of open looks at the rim for the Warriors.
In the third quarter, the team shot 9-of-13 on two-pointers, with seven of those baskets coming on layups or dunks. On one of their two misses at the rim, Butler was there to put in the rebound.
But it was Curry’s outside shots that truly put the Knicks away. Whenever the Knicks threatened late, Curry was there with a big shot.
The Butler-Curry Warriors can be stopped on offense. But as the Knicks showed, it’s hard to do it for 48 minutes.