After visit to dentist, Curry drills down on Knicks

Golden State's Stephen Curry relieving New York's Carmelo Anthony of the ball during the Warriors' win over the Knicks. It was Golden State's first win on their five-game road trip, and also their first since Kevin Durant's injury.
Golden State's Stephen Curry relieving New York's Carmelo Anthony of the ball during the Warriors' win over the Knicks. It was Golden State's first win on their five-game road trip, and also their first since Kevin Durant's injury. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

NEW YORK • An emergency trip to the dentist on Saturday did not slow down Stephen Curry on Sunday against the New York Knicks.

The two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) MVP (Most Valuable Player) poured in 31 points, breaking out of a two-game shooting slump, to give the Golden State Warriors (51-11) a 112-105 win over the Knicks (25-38) at Madison Square Garden.

Curry shot 11 of 24 and was five of 13 from beyond the arc. He also recorded eight rebounds and six assists. In the first two games of Golden State's five-game road trip, he was four of 31.

The reigning MVP felt discomfort in his mouth after Saturday's practice. He tweeted a video of his procedure in the dentist's chair and despite starting with a sluggish first quarter - missing all four of his three-pointers - the guard responded with a big third quarter, scoring 15 of the Warriors' 35 points.

He closed the quarter with two threes and a spinning lay-up.

"That's what Steph (Curry) does," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

"He is probably better than anybody in the league at closing quarters with big shots and momentum-changing shots.

Klay Thompson added 29 points, marking the 42nd time in their careers they have both scored at least 25 or more points in a game, the seventh time this season.

Derrick Rose led the Knicks with 28 points and Kristaps Porzingis contributed 24 points and 15 rebounds.

The Warriors avoided losing three games on the trot, something they have not done in 293 straight games. They are 1-2 since losing star forward Kevin Durant to a knee injury.

"We're surviving to this point," added Kerr. "It was good to get a win without him (Durant) tonight. This is how it's going to be for a while, so we have to get used to it."

A brief 8-2 run sealed the win, putting Golden State ahead 110-101 with 1min 9sec left.

"It was a high-intensity game and we always seem to get the other team's best shot regardless of what their record is," said Curry.

The Knicks demonstrated their shooting prowess and shot 63 per cent in the second quarter (12 of 19). With primarily their second string on the floor, New York used a 15-0 burst to move ahead 34-31 with 6:13 left.

Porzingis, the only starter on the court, contributed seven of those points. The Warriors missed 10 shots in the sequence, including four three-point attempts.

"They (reserves) pushed the ball ahead with energy," observed Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek. "They got after it. If you push it, it creates opportunities to make the right plays. The second group kept us in there."

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 07, 2017, with the headline After visit to dentist, Curry drills down on Knicks. Subscribe