I still felt it.”TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), MSG (New York)ABOUT THE WARRIORS (43-4): Thompson is 11-for-22 from 3-point range the last two games and National Basketball Association scoring leader Stephen Curry (29.7) rebounded from a 4-for-11 shooting performance against Dallas with 23 at Philadelphia”. For once, Curry was colder than the intro he received, going 5-of-17 for 13 points, the first time he’s had fewer points than shots in a full game this season.
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Forward Harrison Barnes sank a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left on the clock and the Warriors escaped with a 108-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a meeting of the NBA’s best and worst teams.
Green, who leads the National Basketball Association in triple-doubles with eight, added nine assists in his first game since being picked on Thursday to his first All-Star Game, where he will join fellow reserve Thompson and starter Curry as Warriors representatives. Last season, the Warriors absolutely dominated their matchups with the Knicks, taking the first game away from home by 14 points and the second at home by a monster 31 points.
His demands were heard and heeded, and the Warriors transformed from cavalier to careful and spent the remainder of the evening assembling a 116-95 victory over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in NY.
Green didn’t get his numbers, and nearly didn’t get the win, either. He tied Tom Gola’s franchise record for the most triple-doubles in a season.
Ish Smith scored 18 points and Jahlil Okafor, who returned after missing two straight games due to illness, had 13.
Thompson was 14 for 18 from the field, including 5 for 6 from 3-point range. Golden State, up 34-28 after a quarter, saw Philadelphia creep within three early in the second quarter on a long-range effort by guard/forward Hollis Thompson.
“We kind of went into it knowing they were going to trap Steph, so whoever it was that got the ball tried to make a play”, Barnes said. The Sixers only gave up 35 second half points as the Warriors failed to take advantage of the smaller lineups.
Carmelo Anthony led NY with 24 points.
“I think Steph enjoys the big stage, whether it’s the Garden, Staples or Oracle in front of an energized crowd”, Kerr said.
In Indianapolis it went to overtime, with Pacers guard Monta Ellis scoring a season-high 32 points in a 109-105 overtime triumph over the Denver Nuggets. “I’ve never heard a player admit to that, but the reality is: Everybody could admit to that occasionally”.
Center Festus Ezeli missed a third straight game because of a sore left knee and was scheduled to be re-evaluated Monday after the results of an MRI exam had been inconclusive, according to Kerr. The Golden State Warriors average 30.0 attempts and have a tremendous record (36-3) when attempting 25 or more.
James Harden had 40 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, but Houston lost their third straight.
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On the final Warriors’ possession, guard Stephen Curry fired a pass from the right wing to forward Draymond Green at the top of the circle.
