Game Thread: New York Knicks @ Golden State Warriors 10:30 pm 12/15/2016 [Game#26]

OAKLAND, Calif. -- It'll be Olympic reunion night at Oracle Arena on Thursday when the New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony and three of his teammates from the 2016 gold-medal winner, all members of the Golden State Warriors, get together for the first time since Rio.

The evening will tip off before the tip-off with Warriors stars Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson getting Olympic championship rings in a ceremony featuring Warriors executive board member Jerry West, a former gold medalist himself, and USA Basketball Men's National Team Director Sean Ford.

Durant, who signed with the Warriors only about a month before leaving for Rio, led the Americans with a 19.4 scoring average in their eight straight wins.

Durant totaled 155 points in Rio, the second-most ever for an American behind his own 156 in the 2012 London Games, bringing his Olympic career total to 311.

Only one American has a higher career total, and, fittingly, he will be on hand to witness the ceremony Thursday. Anthony is the all-time Olympic scoring leader among Americans with 336.

Anthony has been anything but Olympic-caliber in the first three games of the Knicks' five-stop trip. He's shot just 16-for-53 from the field and 3-for-16 on 3s, although 24 free throws has helped him compile a respectable 19.7 scoring average.

The Knicks won two of the three games -- at Sacramento and Los Angeles (Lakers) -- before suffering a 113-111 overtime loss at Phoenix on Tuesday.

New York had won four straight on the road and six of seven overall before the loss to the Suns. They didn't have point guard Derrick Rose for the second half at Phoenix after his ailing back, which forced him to sit out two games last week, flared up on him again.

Rose is questionable for Thursday's game.

Leading the way of late for the Knicks has been Kristaps Porzingis, who recorded double-doubles in the two trip-opening wins, equaled his career high with seven blocks against the Lakers, and was one off his career best in scoring with 34 points against the Suns.

The second-year pro came on strong late in the Phoenix game after having gotten thrown to the floor by Suns rookie Marquese Chriss in a third-quarter altercation.

"He needed it," Anthony told reporters after the game of Porzingis' wake-up call. "Sometimes people try to take advantage of his kindness, and I thought it was getting a little bit too much out there for him, and he reacted. We had his back."

Porzingis might expect more of the same Thursday night from the Warriors' enforcer, Green. He is coming off a dramatic confrontation with New Orleans star Anthony Davis in the final seconds of Tuesday's 113-109 road win.

With the Warriors clinging to a two-point lead, Green stripped the ball from Davis as he attempted what could have been a game-tying shot.

"He's one-on-one against anybody, I'll take Draymond any day," Warriors coach Steve Kerr gushed to reporters after the win. "He's a nasty defender."

A bit too nasty, the NBA observed Wednesday. The league admitted Green should have been called for a foul on the game-saving play, claiming he illegally had two hands on Davis' back before making his clean swipe.

(cbssports.com)

Thanks for the game thread Rady. The game is at 10:30 and it's going to be a beatdown not worth staying up for with DRose out.

i'll be staying up (i don't really have a choice). i'm not afraid of this particular beat down. i want to see how hornacek manages the game. and i want to see how our bench players meet this challenge. i also want to see if dray-dray ends up kicking anybody.
hopefully rose comes back to the lineup soon.

tiger0330 said:

Thanks for the game thread Rady. The game is at 10:30 and it's going to be a beatdown not worth staying up for with DRose out.

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You are right, i got confused by the PST and thought it was 9:30

Melo not playing, sore shoulder.

Just got that on the wire, so i guess KOQ is getting the start. It's gonna be a practice game for the Warriors..

rady said:

Just got that on the wire, so i guess KOQ is getting the start. It's gonna be a practice game for the Warriors..

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I bet ya their practices are tougher... i'll prob catch the 1st half.. hope they keep it close

No Melo and no Rose.... let's hope bench steps up and we are competitive. Going to hinge on what happens in DEN, to determine if this was a good or bad road trip.

Superstar sit out night in prime time um um um that's really pathetic actually from your supposed "team leaders" I miss the old days guys played a little dinged up DRose they chased you out of the Chi for this **** on chief

Ron Baker clownin out there was he a shocker?

Noah and Thomas are both 1-7 (and they've each missed 6 uncontested layups or shots). KP is 3-7...

its so ugly that Curry won a jump ball vs Noah. GSW not even really trying and still lead by 14 (after KP bricked 2 FTs).

Knicks shoot 23-50 in the first half (and pretty much missed 20 open looks)....
Brick city. Lee has 0 points, Noah and LT have 2 way and KP has 6. This is our starting 5! Lol. Time to
bench those 3 bums and go with KP, BJ, Baker, Holiday and Kuz.... at least those 4 have brought aome
semblance of a basketball game tonight.

Tyson Chandler beat us last game .. tonight Mcgee gets a standing ovation plus a season high in minutes points n rebounds

All these missed FT attempts are making me dizzy .. end of 3rd qtr 66-88 .. Will Jeff Horn Knicks score 88 points this game .. i still can't believe LOSER Lance Thomas were a starter for this game

mafra said:

Knicks shoot 23-50 in the first half (and pretty much missed 20 open looks)....
Brick city. Lee has 0 points, Noah and LT have 2 way and KP has 6. This is our starting 5! Lol. Time to
bench those 3 bums and go with KP, BJ, Baker, Holiday and Kuz.... at least those 4 have brought aome
semblance of a basketball game tonight.

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KP hasn't looked that much better than noah. at least noah has like 8 rebounds. ron baker is outscoring him for god's sake. if you're going to talk about wanting revenge, you'd better bring it. he didn't bring it. very disappointed in these guys. so many open looks right AT THE RIM and missed. i can accept a loss under these circumstances, but when you miss all these open looks... just pathetic.

KP was awful. Just shows you how much Melo helps him, b/c if the defense is solely focused on stopping the kid.... You get what we saw tonight.

Noah and LT were awful as well. No defensive effort.

There was. Onpassing either for NY. No movement. It was as if nobody on the team wanted to even attempt an upset. They might as well forfeited. GSW toyed with NY and went out of their way to make their 5th starter have his career night.

mafra said:

KP was awful. Just shows you how much Melo helps him, b/c if the defense is solely focused on stopping the kid.... You get what we saw tonight.

Noah and LT were awful as well. No defensive effort.

There was. Onpassing either for NY. No movement. It was as if nobody on the team wanted to even attempt an upset. They might as well forfeited. GSW toyed with NY and went out of their way to make their 5th starter have his career night.

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Good point and the kid has acknowledged that Melo creates opportunities for him, plus I assume Dray took on the defensive assignment making it tough for him all night.

The Knicks were probably going to lose this game with or w/o Melo and DRose so it may work out that they sat if they can come back in Denver and get a win for a 3-2 trip.

mafra said:

"It's a big game for us. It's a big game. Must-win, I know it's early, but this is kind of a must-win mentality for us," Anthony said. "Started off the road trip pretty good, had an opportunity to win in Phoenix. That was one we let slip away. (On Thursday against Golden State), it is what it is. But (Saturday) we have an opportunity to turn this into a good trip for us."

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I hope Melo learned something about team ball watching the Warriors play from the bench. Beautiful to watch the Warriors play on both sides of the ball.

Nightmare scenario shaping up for Phil, stuck with Noah for 4 years and losing DRose in FA after trading a guy who is clearly better than the guy you signed for more money. Reinsdorf was right Noah is not a frontline 5 anymore, the problem with him is you can't fit him into the second unit because he can't score.

yea noah seems to be a dud... as to DRose, its been a small sample... some good,some not so good... its a long season and I think he's just a sneeze away from the DL... I don't think he's the long term solution...he reminds me of the nets DWill... in that his best days were left in Utah...n Chicago...