If Steph Curry’s 3-point record was on everyone’s lips on New York’s side, we don’t forget that there was a game to play next and the Warriors had to not spoil the great moment of their leader. Mission succeeded with a 105-96 victory despite a back-to-back in the legs.
For the box score of Steph Curry’s historic record, it’s here.
A packed Madison Square Garden, a match on national air, an all-time record that was just waiting to fall: the stage was set to spend an evening not only historic but also pleasant. Of course, all the cameras were on the Chef and it didn’t take long for him to catch the spotlight. 4 minutes and 25 seconds is what it took for the Golden State star to make history and push Ray Allen out of his throne. We jump off the sofa, we savor the moments of joy of the leader, the standing ovation and the hugs with the relatives and we plunge directly into a match that was not played in advance, far from it. If the Warriors are in the euphoria, the Knicks are not there to make up the numbers and they make a good start. The defense is in place, Derrick Rose gives us his 2011 version, everyone is participating. Opposite, the Dubs take longer to enter the meeting. Bjelica takes his shots, Jordan Poole will get his points on the line but we have to wait until the last minutes before the break to really see the Warriors heat up. As is often the case in recent years, Steve Kerr’s speech or the Bugs Bunny potion takes effect and Golden State returns from the station wagon with better intentions. Jordan Poole is in all the right places, the defense gets the job done and the Bay men give themselves a seven point lead before attacking money time. We hoped it would be ignited to celebrate the Chef’s record but the last act will finally be well managed by the Dubs. Despite a blow of heat from Julius Randle, Golden State always finds the response and Andrew Wiggins will come to carry the last blow of the 3-point dagger, a nice nod of fate given the theme of the evening.
More than the result, more than the standings (Golden State keeps its first place in the West, regardless of Phoenix’s result), this match was above all an opportunity to see Stephen Curry make history and it is a moment that was worth it. If the Chef did not bring out a madness for the event (22 points at 8/19 and 5/14 from afar), the important thing was to win the match, so as not to spoil a new unique performance. We recall that Curry had made his first big outbreak at the Garden and it ended in defeat. When entering the books of the NBA, bringing back a win was still important. Knicks side, because it was not only Golden State on the ground, we can highlight the big awakening of Julius Randle (31 points, 7 rebounds) after a very discreet first half while Kevin Knox was able to come out a little cupboard. For the cocorico point of the day: a match to forget for Evan Fournier, author of only 2 points in 29 minutes and who confirms his difficulties at the start of the season. Fourth loss in a row for the Knicks and a Tom Thibodeau who seems to lack solutions to wake up his family. Gone are the days when New York was Top 4 in the East.
The Warriors wanted to celebrate Steph Curry but before that you had to get the job done on the pitch. Mission accomplished for Steve Kerr and his proteges who validate the 2/2 in back-to-back after the victory against Indiana yesterday. Next meeting for the two teams: Golden State will be Friday night on the Boston side while New York will try to recover Thursday at the surprising Rockets.
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