Basketball is illogical at times. There are instances when a squad that shouldn’t even be playing in the game finds the winning formula at every opportunity and not only competes but also prevails. An invisible wire can occasionally cause a team that should be sleepwalking to a W to fail. Basketball also makes great sense on occasion.
Unfortunately, Tuesday was one of those instances. Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Donate DiVincenzo, and Jamal Green were absent as the Golden State Warriors, one of the worst road teams in the NBA, entered their fifth straight road game against the New York Knicks, who were riding a seven-game winning run. The Ending made complete sense. The Dubs were humiliated, falling short 132-94.
Now let’s grade the sadness. As always, grades are weighted based on my expectation of each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that individual.
Why the Warriors Can Conver?
On Tuesday, the Golden State’s defense will face a friendly opponent. The warriors produced 15.4 turnovers each game. Additionally, Golden State has limited its opponents’ shooting this year to 46.4%. In terms of field goal percentage and 3-point percentage, New York is No. 25 and No. 26, respectively, in the NBA. The Knicks also rank last in the league in terms of assists per game.
Golden State, on the other hand, tops the league in both assists and 3-pointers made (16.4 per game) (29.4 per game). The Warriors also have one of the top ten field goal percentages in the NBA (47.7%), and Golden State puts pressure on opponents by shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc.
Why the Knicks Can Cover?
Many betting patterns in this one favor New York. The Knicks have a superior 17-12-1 overall ATS record and are 8-4 this season when the favorites. The Warriors have a dismal ATS record on the road (4-13) and as road underdogs, and Golden State is 14-17 overall (3-6).
Given that Curry and Wiggins are out for Golden State in this clash, the Knicks are also the healthier squad. This month, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson as a group are all scoring frequently. There are several ways for New York to create offense at the moment because Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickly have both been productive secondary scorers this month.