In the fourth of their five-game road swing, the Golden State Warriors journey to Madison Square Garden to go head to head with the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Both sides head into the midweek clash off the back of contrasting results last time out, with the Warriors coming up short against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.
Match preview
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The New York Knicks continue to strengthen their position in the upper echelons of the Eastern Conference standings as they secured a thrilling 116-112 overtime victory over the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center on Sunday night.
Having trailed for a significant part of the game, floor general Jalen Brunson dropped eight points to put the Knicks on a 15-5 run in the final five minutes and force overtime before adding six points to finish with 31 points and cap off an impressive individual display.
Brunson finished as one of five Knicks players to drop double figures, including OG Anunoby's 23, Josh Hart's 14 and Karl-Anthony Towns, who tallied 19 points and 16 rebounds to record his 44th double-double of the campaign.
Thom Thibodeau's men have now picked up three back-to-back victories, seeing off the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies and the Heat, and are on a 13-5 run since losing 116-99 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 18.
The New York Knicks are now 40-20 from their 60 regular-season games so far to sit third in the Eastern Conference standings, three wins fewer than the Boston Celtics in third place and six above fourth-placed Milwaukee Bucks.
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The Golden State Warriors, on the other hand, were sent crashing back to earth in their surge into the automatic playoff places in the West as they fell 126-119 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
Coming off the back of a standout 56-point display against the Orlando Magic, Stephen Curry dropped a 29-point 13-assist double-double to lead the visitors in scoring, but it was Quentin Grimes who grabbed the headlines at the Wells Fargo Center.
Grimes knocked down 44 points on an efficient 75% shooting from the field to go with six rebounds to help Philadelphia snap a nine-game losing run and secure their first win over the Warriors since December 2022.
Before that, the Golden State Warriors recorded five back-to-back victories, coinciding with the arrival of veteran forward Jimmy Butler — their joint-longest run of consecutive wins since also picking up five straight wins between October 30 and November 7.
Steve Kerr's men are now 7-2 since losing back-to-back games against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers back in February, a run which has seen them surge into seventh place in the Western Conference table, just below sixth-placed Los Angeles Clippers in the final automatic playoff spot.
Before Wednesday's clash against the Knicks, the Golden State Warriors will look to return to winning ways on Tuesday, when they visit the Spectrum Center to face the Charlotte Hornets, who have lost each of the last five meetings between the two teams since a 120-113 overtime victory in October 2022.
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Team News
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The New York Knicks will have to cope without the services of German center Ariel Hukporti, who is set to miss the next four to six weeks after tearing the meniscus in his left knee.
Barring any late injury concerns, the Knicks will head into Wednesday's clash with a clean bill of health, giving Thibodeau the luxury of a relatively full-strength squad to select from.
As for the Golden State Warriors, Butler was a notable absentee in Sunday's defeat against the Philadelphia 76ers and the 35-year-old forward will be assessed ahead of Tuesday's clash against Charlotte.
Jonathan Kuminga continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines since suffering an ankle injury against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 5 and the 22-year-old is out of contention for Kerr's side.
Curry turned in another impressive individual display against the Philadelphia 76ers last time out and the 36-year-old has now averaged 30 points across the five matches since the All-Star games, including 56 points against the Magic on February 28.
New York Knicks possible starting 5:
Brunson, Hart, Bridges, Towns, Anunoby
Golden State Warriors possible starting 5:
Podziemski, Curry, Moody, Green, Post
We say: The Golden State Warriors to win by five points.
While the Golden State Warriors have turned a corner with the arrival of Butler, Wednesday's clash against a solid New York Knicks side will undoubtedly test their playoff credentials. Kerr's men are on a 9-1 run at Madison Square Garden since March 2014 and we are tipping them to come out on top once again.
Joshua Ojele
