Post Game Reaction: Warriors 112 Knicks 105

The New York Knicks were back in action on another Sunday ABC game. Last time they played the Spurs on ABC Sunday and beat them, this time they got the Golden State Warriors. They played a tight one but in the end lost to the Warriors 112-105. This game was a wild-ride as the Knicks would fall behind by double-digits and then their bench would get them back into the game. Lets break it down. 

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Box Score. The Knicks were led by Kristaps Porzingis, who arguably played his best game of the season. He finished with 24pts 15rebs to lead the Knicks in both stats. They also got 28pts from Rose and 15pts from Melo. The Warriors got 31pts 8rebs 6asts from Curry and Thompson chipped in 29pts. Overall both teams got good efforts from different role players but Curry and Thompson were the difference. 

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Porzingis shows potential. All year guys hyped up Porzingis and I was cautiously waiting because he would show flashes but he always looked to me behind the likes of Jokic, Towns and Embid. But tonight he showed some of that potential. He was aggressive from the start. If you remember in his 3 games against the Warriors he really struggled, averaging 6pts on 25% shooting. Green has owned him. Early-on it looked like it was going to be another long day but Porzingis really took-off in the 2nd quarter. The Knicks need to deploy him like this from now on. You saw him get more in the post and get better positioning. He also used his height to his advantage and shot over the smaller Warrior defenders. All in all he finished with 29pts and 15 rebs but the best part was he took 21 shots, which tells me he was engaged and aggressive. Great game for Porzingis to build some confidence off of. 

Knicks bench brought energy. Knick fans need to slow their role about Ron Baker being the future. He is a nice player that fits as a back-up point guard that should be a 3-string guard, used to provide some energy. He has the potential to be a solid back-up guard, not a starter. I repeat not a starter. Now lets talks about what the bench did. They went on a 15-0 run in the 2nd quarter and a 13-1 run in the 4th quarter, both times to get the Knicks back in the game. They got 10pts from Holiday, Baker had 9pts and Hernangomez had 8pts 5rebs. There is so much buzz around Baker but I think Holiday has the potential to be a starter, similar to the role Lee plays right now. 

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Overall this game was very up and down. Both teams struggled from the start, combining to shoot 5-24 from the field. Things got better as we entered the 2nd quarter. The difference in this one was the Warriors made 6 more threes and won the turnover battle 15 to 8. In a tight game thats all you need to make the difference. The two teams shot very similar from the field, made almost the same amount of free throws and even had about the same amount of paint points. It came down to the turnovers and the 3-ball, the Knicks lost in both stats. 

As Knick fans these games just drive you crazy because you see the effort and you wonder why does that not happen more often. They just came off a poor showing against the Sixers, who are in no way the Warriors. The inconsistency and the lack of effort by the Knicks all season has been their downfall. Typically those struggles tend to tell you the team does not care about playing defense. I could say that it was a great morale win for the Knicks but in reality who knows what team will show up in their next game, the one that lost to the Sixers or the one that competed with the Warriors? This inconsistency just drives the fans crazy. They are team that has potential but never deliver.