Despite an ugly fourth period that saw the Golden Warriors kick just five out of 20, they still managed to beat the New York Knicks by 114-106.
Stephen Curry broke a 97-97 draw with 3:38 remaining when he reached his seventh 3-point basket in the game and finished with 37 points to lead Dubs.
After losing consecutive destroying hearts, this is a huge victory for the Warriors, who are 1-2 on their four-game trip.
Golden State had a great start to the game, winning 20-12 in less than six minutes from the first. The Dubs did a great job of sharing the ball in the first quarter, with 11 assists in 13 baskets made and leading 36-31 after one.
Unfortunately, the defense was unable to resist the team with the lowest league score. The Knicks started to force the pace and got some easy looks to go back and take the lead. New York dominated the cup in the first half, beating the Warriors by 29-20 and led 59-55 at halftime.
The good news is that Dubs came out strong to start the third. Led by Curry, Oubre and Wiggins, the Golden State had a 23-6 run to start the fourth and reached a 94-85 lead after three quarters. The Dubs managed to keep the Knicks at bay for the rest of the way.
Here are three lessons from victory:
The excellent defense of the fourth half
New York entered this game as the team with the lowest score in the NBA. You wouldn’t be able to say that for excerpts from the first and third quarters. The good news is that the Warriors fought on Wednesday. Even though the Dubs were fighting on the offensive side, they still managed to stay ahead of the Knicks thanks to their defensive intensity.
Check out the chart for the fourth quarter of New York:
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ESPN
Dubs have been doing much better over the past month on the defensive end and have shown how good they can be in the last 12 minutes.
James Wiseman looks good on his return
The rookie lost his 11 games due to a wrist injury and started from where he left off. Wiseman had 14 points and two rebounds in 16 minutes of action. You can see the dimension he brings when he steps on the court.
Wiseman swallows each pass around the edge and uses his raw athletic ability to finish over defenders. With coach Steve Kerr choosing to take the 19-year-old off the bench, he gives the second unit the much-needed scoring punch.
“So good to have you back. he brings a lot of energy to the ground, obviously, he is immensely talented, ”said Kerr after the game. “Having him there and impacting the game, and at the same time learning … everything is happening very fast for him, but he is an incredible athlete and an incredibly mature young man. he’s going to have a great career. “
Wiseman’s minutes are expected to increase as the season progresses, but it was nice to see that the three-week layoff did not affect his performance.
Kelly Oubre Jr. learning her role in the attack
Oubre had 19 points, eight rebounds and three blocks and is increasingly comfortable with Kerr’s attack. He averages 20.1 points per game this month, up from the 13.1 points per game he accumulated in January.
With opposing defenses so focused on slowing Curry, Oubre is doing a much better job of moving without the ball. Instead of sticking to the perimeter and forcing outside shots, Oubre is cutting into the basket, resulting in some easy lay-ins.
Curry prepared him beautifully for the decisive bucket.
Oubre is an important part of the team. If he manages to maintain that level of play throughout the season, it will help Golden State’s chances in the playoffs.
The Dubs end their trip to the east with a fight against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.