Steve Kerr hailed Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks as “a typical Thibs team” on Thursday, saying they have “defended like crazy” while “building a foundation” to finally emerge as a winning ball club.
Such strong words from the three-time NBA championship coach were meant to mean so much more after the Knicks opened a four-game western swing with a sharp 119-104 win over Kerr’s Warriors in San Francisco. It was their third defensive solid win in a row – after a losing slip of five games – to match their record at 8-8.
‘It means we have a lot of work to do. We can’t feel good, we have to keep working, ”said Thibodeau after the game. “It’s been a long season. You have to go step by step. There are a number of things we have done well. We have had some good wins. But we’ve also had some games in which we could have played much better.
“So we have to be honest with ourselves and know that there is still a lot of work to be done and that we are able to improve and do much better. That is our challenge. “
RJ Barrett scored 18 of his career-high 28 points in the first half, while Julius Randle went on to build his All-Star resume with almost his second triple-double of the season (16 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists).
“We’re just worried about us … and with every game we get the feeling that we have to win the game or give ourselves a chance to win the game,” Randle said after the Knicks improved to 5-4 down the road. . “I think we have a good team and play good team basketball.”
Backup center Nerlens Noel recorded four of the Knicks’ nine blocked shots, Mitchell Robinson scored all of his 18 points after half time and Alec Burks contributed 11 points in 31 minutes off the bench in his first game since he sprained on December 27 just got.
Stephen Curry finished with a game-high of 30 points, but the two-time MVP made four turnovers and missed nine of 14 tries in a three-point run. Golden State (8-7) played the last two quarters without Draymond Green after earning his second technical foul just before the break.
‘A man like Curry is impossible to guard with one man. I thought Elfrid [Payton] did the best possible job, ”said Thibodeau. ‘You try to make him work as hard as possible for everything. He missed some of the shots he normally takes, and I think because he was gritty, we dropped on him pretty much from the moment Draymond was thrown out. “
Reggie Bullock (12 points) nailed three 3-pointers in the first four minutes and paired with Barrett for 23 points in the first quarter when the Knicks shot 54.5 percent off the floor and took a 40-31 lead – their highest score for each quarter this season.
Curry, the NBA’s third top scorer (28.1 ppg) to enter the game, was held scoreless for the first eight minutes until he finally converted a three-point game later in the period.
Randle replied with a three-point play for the Knicks, and Curry missed his free throw after Payton (15 points) hacked him while clearing a 26-footer from outside the arc. But Payton took a 3 to break a 55-55 tie en route to a 63-57 Knicks lead by two quarters.
Robinson dipped twice, scoring the first nine of his 18 runs in the second half in the third, while the Knicks extended their lead to 89-76 going into the last quarter.
The first of two baseline dunks from rookie Obi Toppin and a 3-pointer from fellow first-round pick Immanuel Quickley put the Knicks ahead by 16 barely three minutes in the fourth.
“I’ve said this from the start, I love our young boys especially with their attitude and their approach,” said Thibodeau. “They come in with a lot of energy every day. Some days we make mistakes. But the next day, there is a determination to correct mistakes and get better. If we do that every day, we will continue to grow. “