After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in nearly 150 games, the Golden State Warriors returned to winning ways tonight, beating the New York Knicks in a back-and-forth affair.
With Kevin Durant missing from the starting five once again through injury, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were relied upon to deliver the goods, with the guard pairing ending with a collective 60 of their side's points.
The reigning MVP grabbed an uncharacteristic team-high rebound figure in eight, whilst also dishing out a further six assists. Thompson shot four-from-nine from beyond the arc and also helped by scoring all nine of his attempted free throws. The 2015 NBA champions also gave Matt Barnes his first start in his second spell with the side.
Meanwhile, Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis led New York's valiant performance, with 28 and 24 points respectively. The latter also grabbed 15 boards and played a team-high 40 minutes.
The win will ease the pressure on Steve Kerr's shoulders, with the San Antonio Spurs having closed the gap between themselves and the Warriors to just 2.5 games.
Meanwhile, for the Knicks, it limits the sides possibility of reaching the playoffs even more, with the side having now lost seven of their last ten games.
New York Led Tight Game at the Half
Photo: USA-TODAY Sports
The Warriors left the blocks quicker than the game's hosts after tip-off, taking an early 10-4 lead after three minutes of play.
Golden State would go on to remain ahead for the rest of the first, with New York failing to get within two points of their opposition. The 18-point performance by the Knicks was the worst return by either side across all four quarters.
In the second period, however, New York produced an impressive 16-2 to start the quarter. The undrafted Ron Baker scored four points on the run that saw the Warriors' second unit struggle.
Golden State eventually found their feet in the quarter with five minutes left to play, with Andre Iguodala scoring all six of his points for the game to help swing the tie back into the Warriors' favor before Porzingis scored on the buzzer to see New York enter the dressing room ahead.
The Warriors Pull Away
Despite several chances to do so, the Knicks failed to run away with the game, with Golden State instead taking the lead with two minutes gone in the third.
Carmelo Anthony failed to register a point for his side in the last eight minutes of the quarter, which ultimately led to the Warriors slowly extending their lead. No points for any Knick in the final minute helped Steve Kerr's men lead 84-76 going into the final quarter.
The Western Conference leaders extended their lead to double figures within two minutes of the final quarter, before the Knicks went on to produce their final comeback attempt.
New York brought the scores to within a point thanks to Porzingis' three-pointer, before Golden State once again pulled away, with the Knicks failing to get within four points of their opposition after eight minutes of play.
Curry's two free throws with 30 seconds left proved to be the match-ups final points, with the GSW taking the tie 112-105.
Next up
The Warriors will take on the Boston Celtics on Mar. 3 at the TD Garden.
For the Knicks, they will visit the Orlando Magic on Mar. 7, at the Amway Center.