Every game the rest of the 2023-24 NBA regular season is an important one for the Golden State Warriors. They are scratching and clawing attempting to get out of the NBA Play-In Tournament, but at the very least, want to avoid the 9th and 10th seeds.
Those teams will play in a loser-goes-home single-elimination game, which is less than ideal for Golden State. However, if they keep running into opponents who are playing as well as the New York Knicks, moving up is going to be a challenge.
On Monday night, the Warriors hosted the Knicks at Chase Center, where they were defeated 119-112. New York blitzed Golden State from the start and never relented, going wire-to-wire for the 11th time this season, which is the most in the NBA.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Draymond Green, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors Updates
In the first meeting between the teams this season, it was the Warriors who got off to a hot start and rode that throughout the game. They found success in blitzing Jalen Brunson, getting the ball out of his hands and making his teammates make plays. In that meeting, the Warriors were successful; this time around, not as much.
The Knicks’ game plan of going small stifled what the Warriors wanted to do. Brunson was surrounded by shooters and Isaiah Hartenstein was dominant in the paint, scoring a few early baskets to really open things up.
On his podcast the next day, Warriors’ standout Draymond Green was very complimentary of the Knicks and how they played. He singled out the performances of the team’s Villanova trio, Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, as ones he was impressed with.
DiVincenzo played last season with the Warriors, putting together a strong season before landing with the Knicks as a free agent. He has flourished in the Big Apple, having the best season of his career.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Draymond Green, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors Updates
Brunson, a first-time All-Star with a legitimate case to be on an All-NBA Team, has taken his game to another level. Green spoke highly about the work he has put in as the Warriors had no answers for him on the court.
Hart is the glue guy that holds it all together. He does a little bit of everything for the Knicks, as he stepped up big on Monday. He was the starting power forward and played all 48 minutes, not coming out of the game once with the team short-handed in the frontcourt again.
Green is as honest as they get, so when he talks about teams and players in the NBA, you should listen. He is very high on this Knicks squad, as they are a group no one wants to see in the postseason.
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