Offense Hard to Come by in Loss to Knicks

Facing one of the league’s top defenses on the back end of a back-to-back, the Warriors couldn’t find a consistent rhythm in Thursday’s 119-104 loss to the Knicks at Chase Center.

The Warriors shot 38 percent from the floor and made just nine of their 38 3-point attempts, while New York was sharper all-around from the opening tip.

Stephen Curry made five of those treys, bringing him within three of Hall of Famer Reggie Miller (2,560), who remains second on the NBA’s all-time made 3-pointers list. Curry led the Warriors with 30 points, scoring 20 of those in the first half.

If there was a turning point in the game, it happened at the 1:04 mark in the second quarter when Draymond Green was ejected after receiving his second technical foul. While replays showed Green was yelling at a teammate, Head Coach Steve Kerr was unable to challenge the call, and the Warriors had to play the second half without their playmaking defensive stalwart.

Green tallied eight assists before his ejection, and the Warriors’ offense struggled in his absence in the second half. The Dubs, who trailed by six at halftime, saw their deficit grow to as much as 19 in the fourth quarter, a fact that the Knicks’ stingy defense had plenty to do with. New York blocked nine Warriors shot attempts, including five by reserve center Nerlens Noel, and limited the Dubs to seven fast-break points.

Second-year wing RJ Barrett led New York with a career-high 28 points and Julius Randle came an assist shy of a triple-double (16 points, 17 rebounds), as the Knicks never trailed after putting up 40 points in the first quarter.

Andrew Wiggins made his first five shots and finished with 17 points, rookie James Wiseman had 15 and Eric Paschall tallied 12 points off the bench, and in the process surpassed 1,000 career points. Also of note, Nico Mannion saw his first game action since Jan. 4, scoring his first point of his career with a free throw late in the fourth quarter.

The loss drops the Warriors to 8-7 on the season and kept the Dubs from reaching their first three-game winning streak of the season. They’ll look to get back on track when they visit the Jazz on Saturday in a game that has been rescheduled to begin 6 p.m. (PST).