Knicks Blown Out For Second Consecutive Night

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Friday, February 28, 2014

Golden State Warriors vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

It was another embarrassing loss for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden tonight as the Warriors came in and blew them out by a score of 126-103. The Knicks were out of it virtually from the start, trailing by double-digits from the midway point of the second quarter on and never really getting much closer. They fell behind by as many as 27 points and didn’t get closer than 16 in the second half. It was another uninspired effort for the Knicks who lacked the effort and urgency of a team on the outside looking in of the playoff race. The loss tonight runs the Knicks losing streak to five games and with a 2-11 record to finish February. The Knicks will be back at it again Sunday afternoon in a nationally televised game against the Chicago Bulls at 1 PM ET.

Player of the Game: Tim Hardaway Jr.

After having quite possibly his worst NBA game to date in his return home last night, Hardaway Jr. had a nice bounce back game tonight. He scored 22 points on 6-11 from the field and connected on 4-7 from deep, improving immensely upon his 2-15 and 0-8 from deep last night. It was nice to see Hardaway Jr. still trying out there tonight in a game that was seemingly over before he even stepped on the court. He showed resiliency and supreme confidence by coming out tonight with the same energy and emotion that he has brought in every game this season. His defense may need work but he is a guy the Knicks need to keep around as his offensive game has loads of potential to make him a starter in this league for many years to come.

Match up Of the Game Recap

Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

The Knicks never really stood a chance in this match up of Stephen Curry against their backcourt. Curry, who had a season low five points Wednesday against the Bulls, came out and destroyed the Knicks tonight. Without Iman Shumpert starting Curry was able to get going from the start and lit the Knicks up throughout the night. He finished with a triple-double tonight after scoring career high 54-points in his visit last season. This one is much sweeter for Curry and the Warriors though as they left Madison Square Garden with the win in addition to Curry’s stellar night. On the contrary, Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni didn’t have much of an impact on the game. In 32 combined minutes the Knicks starting backcourt barely managed to provide stats you would expect from a reserve.

-Positives

Toure’ Murry was given a chance tonight with Mike Woodson deciding to sit Felton and Prigioni for long stretches and it paid off. Murry is in a tough position not receiving constant minutes but tonight he made the most of what was given to him. He provided a spark offensively, scoring eight points and added two rebounds and two assists. He also provided some defense for the Knicks at the point of attack, something Felton and Prigioni didn’t provide. Murry has shown in his limited minutes he should be a part of the rotation because he brings things to the game that Felton and Prigioni do not provide.

The three point shooting for the Knicks tonight was about the only thing that resembled an NBA offense tonight. They were able to take advantage of a Warriors team that was going through the motions at time because of the score, knocking down 10-25 attempts for 40 percent. It was not enough though to keep up with the high scoring Warriors offense.

-Negatives

Frank Franklin II

Outside of the three point shooting the Knicks offense was stuck in neutral all night. With Carmelo Anthony having a lackluster game, shooting 7-26, the Knicks did not have enough firepower to stay with the Warriors. The Knicks shot an unsightly 36-95 (37.9 percent) from the field overall. The Warriors were able to keep Anthony and the Knicks offense off-balance with different looks they gave him throughout the night.

The Knicks once again let their offensive struggles carry over to the defensive end. The Warriors lit the Knicks up throughout the night, especially Curry and his backcourt running mate Klay Thompson. The two combined to shoot 18-36 from the field and 10-21 from the three point line for 52 points. The Knicks also watched Jermaine O’Neal turn the clock back as he terrorized the Knicks in the paint, scoring 15 points with six rebounds and a block in 20 minutes. On the night the Warriors shot 47.8 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three point line.

Right from the start the Knicks looked disinterested in the game and once they got down they didn’t show any fight to get back into it. The Warriors dominated every facet of the game, outscoring the Knicks in transition, in the paint, at the three point line and from the free throw line. It was a disheartening performance for a team that is on the outside looking in of the playoff picture.

The emotion and struggles are starting to boil over as well it seems as Tyson Chandler was ejected from the game tonight after getting into it with Warriors reserve big man Marreese Speights. Chandler and Speights received double-technicals about halfway through the fourth quarter and Speights responded with multiple scores on Chandler. Chandler then laid an ill-advised foul on Speights and was ejected, embarrassing himself and his team in the process.

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Nets Lose Hard Fought Game Against Warriors

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

February 22nd, 2014

Brooklyn Nets vs. Golden State Warriors Post Game Recap

Final Score: Nets 86 Warriors 93

The Brooklyn Nets hung tough in Golden State against the Warriors, but couldn’t pull off the road upset against one of the better teams in the Western Conference. The loss moves the Nets to (25-28) on the season, and are now four games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division

Player of the Game: Deron Williams

Offensive production was hard to come by for the Nets against the Warriors, but Deron Williams did look healthy, and played a good game for Brooklyn. Williams scored a team-high 20 points on eight for 16 shooting, while dishing out six assists. Williams was able to outscore Warriors Point Guard Stephen Curry by three points, as Williams did his part to win the match-up, but he didn’t get much help from his fellow teammates in the starting lineup.

Positives:

Brooklyn’s bench was pretty solid once again, but they didn’t get to have newly acquired Marcus Thornton in Saturday’s game, as he was out with food poisoning. Andray Blatche played well once again, as he led the Nets bench with 14 points on six for nine shooting, with eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Andrei Kirilenko also played well in 32 minutes of game time, which is a lot more than usual. When Kirilenko is on the floor, the Nets are clearly better on the defensive end of the floor, as he is a versatile defender. He finished with six points on two for five shooting, with nine rebounds, three assists, and one block.

Negatives:

Without their normal starting Center Andrew Bogut, the Warriors started Jermaine O’Neal, who threw back the clock for a great game. O’Neal led all scorers with 23 points on a great 10 for 13 performance from the field. O’Neal was also the main reason the Nets were badly out-rebounded, as he had game-high 13. The frontline for the Warriors without David Lee dominated the glass, as O’Neal, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala all had double-digit rebounds leading to the 50 rebound day for Golden State.

espn.go.com

There was a lack of scoring support for Williams in the starting lineup, as Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce both struggled in the game. Johnson scored 15 points in the game, but shot the ball poorly going five of 16 from the field, and with the game close at the end had two costly turnovers. Pierce has been battling turf toe, which maybe affected him in Saturday’s game. He shot just three of 11 from field, ending up with just 11 points in 34 minutes.

A big blow for the Nets happened in the second quarter, as Guard Shaun Livingston went down hard and bruised his tailbone forcing him from the game. His status for their game on Sunday against the Lakers is unsure, which is a bad thing for the Nets, as Livingston has been playing very well of late for Brooklyn.

Next up for the Nets will be a the second half of their back to back against the Lakers, which is a situation that the Nets have struggled in this season.

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