Warriors bullied from deep, on glass in 38-point loss to Knicks

Introduction

The New York Knicks were the better team in Tuesday night's game, and they had plenty of help from their defense. Chris Paul was excellent as usual, but he also had two open long 2-point shots that didn't fall for the Warriors. They made some headway on offense during the first half but couldn't make up any ground defensively, which led to 14 Golden State turnovers to six by New York.

The Knicks' aggressive defense, which forced Golden State into 29 turnovers -- the most in a game by a Warriors opponent since December 1994.

The Knicks' aggressive defense, which forced Golden State into 29 turnovers -- the most in a game by a Warriors opponent since December 1994. The Knicks also cornered Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, who were held to two-for-nine shooting combined (1 for 7 from 3-point range). In contrast, New York shot 10 of 14 from beyond the arc and was able to get some defensive stops on Golden State’s guards when they tried to drive through them or pass over screens that forced guards into taking contested shots instead of getting open looks on their own.

For example: When James Harden drove down the lane against Kevin Durant early in the fourth quarter before finding Patrick Beverley open under the basket for an easy layup attempt at which point he missed both attempts despite having his feet set up perfectly in order to get his first shot off cleanly without having any contact with anyone else around him (this happens way too often). Afterward I asked him how frustrating it was not being able to knock down those shots because we'd seen him make so many other tough ones throughout this series so far--he said that sometimes good things come out of bad situations but other times they can turn out really bad!

The Warriors didn't shoot well from 3-point range for the second straight game, as they shot 22.5%(7-of-31).It was their lowest percentage of the season and worst since going 4-of-22 from deep against New Orleans on Feb. 13. After going 5-for-23 (21.7%) from beyond the arc in Monday's loss at Milwaukee, the Dubs have now gone 12-for-54 (22.2%) from deep over their last two games.

The Warriors weren't physical enough in the first half, and New York was able to get it done by getting to loose balls and rebounds. They also were able to take advantage of the Knicks' lack of athleticism on defense by making them pay for their mistakes.

The Warriors were missing clean looks at the rim, which is something that has been an issue for them all season long when they face teams like New York or Cleveland (the second-worst defensive efficiency rating in NBA history).

But the 3's weren't falling for the Warriors despite several open looks, as they were all alone in the corner or uncovered beyond the arc.

But the 3's weren't falling for the Warriors despite several open looks, as they were all alone in the corner or uncovered beyond the arc. The Knicks' defense was suffocating, and it forced them to take more shots from outside than they wanted.

It's not that Golden State is necessarily an offensive juggernaut; it's more like they have a good idea of how to execute their system and are executing it well enough that their opponents can't stop them no matter what adjustments you make defensively. But when your offense isn't clicking—and even when it is—you still need someone who can knock down open shots (or at least get fouled) or create space through ball movement around defenders who are denying your pick-and-rolls because they're so focused on defending those plays instead of other ones where only one player touches the ball before passing back out into half-court sets where he'll either get fouled again by himself or find some space somewhere else nearby without getting stuck standing around waiting for another opportunity pass instead

Not surprisingly, Russell was one of those players who had his struggles with his new teammates. He missed all six shots he took inside the 3-point line, and went just 2-of-10 overall. He finished with six points and four turnovers in just under 17 minutes of playing time. Fellow newcomer Andrew Wiggins made just two of his nine shots and turned it over four times as well." I don't think it was that we needed more practice," Russell said afterward. "We need to get a feel for each other more than anything."

Not surprisingly, Russell was one of those players who had his struggles with his new teammates. He missed all six shots he took inside the 3-point line, and went just 2-of-10 overall. He finished with six points and four turnovers in just under 17 minutes of playing time. Fellow newcomer Andrew Wiggins made just two of his nine shots and turned it over four times as well." I don't think it was that we needed more practice," Russell said afterward. "We need to get a feel for each other more than anything."

The Warriors are struggling adjusting to their new personnel on offense because they have so many different styles at play in their lineups right now that none is really dominant or consistent enough yet for them to form any kind of rhythm together; meanwhile the Knicks were able to score from anywhere on offense regardless if everyone else was finding open spots around screens set by Carmelo Anthony or whoever else might be filling in for him during this stretch (though Kristaps Porzingis did not appear until late).

Conclusion

The Knicks will try to bounce back from this defeat and take down the two-time defending champions in the team's next matchup.