Golden State Warriors Falter In Second Quarter In Loss to New York Knicks

Mar 30, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) dribbles the ball around Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors have to be shaking their heads at this loss. What was a 10-point lead, and a game that seemed to be running away from the New York Knicks, turned into a 12-point deficit – one that the Warriors desperately tried to overcome for the rest of the game. On Sunday night, they couldn’t get the job done, and they fall to the Knicks 89-84.

At first, the Warriors started out with some fire and intensity. Unfortunately for them, however, their “hit or miss” bench had another terrible game, which is always the sign of trouble. Tonight, the bench shot 6/21 and accumulated a meager 13 points. Sometimes the bench is good and sometimes it is bad. The lead that the Warriors build in the first is always put at a risk when the bench takes over to start the second quarter.

Sunday, this was the case, as the bench allowed the Knicks to go on a 10-0 run, cutting the Warrior lead to two. Not all the blame should be delegated to the bench though. In the closing minutes of the second quarter, the Knicks continued to pile it on, hitting 3-pointer after 3-pointer, and going on the break repeatedly. What was a 10 point lead was a 12-point haltime deficit for the Dubs.

In the third quarter, the Warriors started strong and played well for remainder of the period. They still couldn’t summon enough offense to find a way to beat the Knicks, who were mired in a shooting slump.

Despite some terrific defense for the Warriors, they were unable to generate enough offensive firepower. The only two players without struggles tonight were Klay Thompson, with 15 points, and Stephen Curry with 32. When the Knicks are triple-teaming your only player shooting over 50% (Curry), things can go south awfully fast.

The only good thing about tonight? Portland defeated Memphis who has been breathing on the Warriors’ necks for playoff positioning. Still, these small losses against weaker teams from the Eastern Conference are haunting. The Warriors are 9-6 against the East at home, but 11-4 against the East on the road.

The Warriors had finally worked back to a single-possession game in the final minutes, and ended with the potential final shot with 5 seconds left, trailing by 3. They failed to secure a shot attempt, and Raymond Felton scored two free throws on the other end to completely ice the game.

This kind of shocking inconsistency is not something that the Warriors want to be demonstrating in this final stretch at the season. In order to secure some confidence for themselves, they’ll need to find that other guy to do some scoring.