Dubs Overcome Rocky Fourth Quarter, Close Out 114-106 Win Over Knicks

The Warriors dodged another close game that came down to the fourth quarter, but highlight plays from Stephen Curry in the final minute-plus of the game secured a Tuesday night 114-106 win over the New York Knicks.

Coming out of a timeout with 1:26 left in the game. Kelly Oubre Jr. inbounded the ball to a nearby Draymond Green on the perimeter. Curry came around the top of Green, who screened Curry’s defender while handing off the ball to the two-time MVP (who made a leaping floater from the charity stripe while also drawing a foul on veteran big man Taj Gibson.

That clutch three-point play in the final 1:22 gave the Dubs a 105-100 lead.

The Knicks did not give up as they continued to drive their way inside the paint. Gibson drew a foul and made his two free throws, while point guard Elfrid Payton later would later work his way to the line and make one of his two free shots. A contact play with Kelly Oubre Jr. gifted him a trip to the free throw line for himself kept the Dubs on top through this exchange.

But leave it Curry to clinch the game with another cunning play. This time though, it was not on his scoring, but his distributing.

With just over 30 seconds left, Curry, with ball in hand and two Knicks in tow, came cutting into and across the paint. As he approached the basket, Julius Randle came out to contest as well. But Curry would find his way around Randle and make a sweet dish to Oubre who was cutting on the baseline. Oubre finished the play with a two-handed jam to put the Dubs up by six points.

That would prove to be enough as the Warriors rode the strong play late in the fourth quarter to the eventual victory and snap a rough two-game losing streak in which the Warriors dropped double-digit leads late against the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets.

The excitement in the final minute and a half was a stark contrast from how the quarter opened. Neither team had a field goal for the first four minutes until veteran guard Derrick Rose scored for the Knicks. It would be another minute and a half before the Dubs scored their first bucket of the frame thanks to a dunk at the rim by Eric Paschall. By the end, the two teams combined for 41 points in the quarter.

As rough as the early part of the fourth quarter was and as harrowing as the final minute and a half were considering what the Warriors had suffered in their previous two games, Dub Nation witnessed their squad come out of the halftime break and post a 23-6 run which fueled a 39-point third quarter over the NBA’s best defense, putting themselves in a winning position in the end of the game.

Curry ended the night with a game-high 37 points on 7-for-14 from 3-point range and a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Oubre followed with 19 points to go with eight rebounds and a season-high three blocks in the contest. Green also had a well-rounded performance and full stat line: seven points, nine rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and two blocks.

Up Next: The Warriors have little time to rest as, coming off a back-to-back to start this road trip, they play in Indiana against the Pacers tomorrow evening (4:30 p.m., NBCSBA, ESPN).