LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Golden State star Stephen Curry found his groove, scoring 31 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead the Warriors to a 110-99 National Basketball Association victory over the New York Knicks.
Curry was red-hot going into the All-Star break but had shot just 31.5 percent in his last three games, including connecting on just 21.6 percent of his shots from three-point range.
After going 0-for-7 in the first half of the Warriors’ win over the lowly Washington Wizards on Tuesday, Curry burst out of the gates in this one, tallying 11 points with seven rebounds in the first quarter.
He opened the scoring at Madison Square Garden with the first of his eight three-pointers and had 17 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.
Jonathan Kuminga added 25 points for Golden State, who grabbed a quick 14-0 lead and never trailed.
Jalen Brunson scored 27 points to lead the Knicks, who had the deficit down to four midway through the fourth quarter. But with key contributors Julius Randle and OG Anunoby sidelined, they never gained the upper hand.
“I thought our whole team defended at a high level tonight,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who singled out Moses Moody’s defense on Brunson.
“We’re playing confidently right now, we got off to a great start and that set a really good tone.”
In other early games, two-time National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for Milwaukee in the Bucks’ 111-99 victory over the Hornets in Charlotte.
Malik Beasley made five three-pointers on the way to 19 points for the Bucks, who pushed their winning streak to four games and completed a season sweep of the Hornets.
It wasn’t as lopsided as their other three victories over Charlotte this season — all by more than 30 points — but it was a convincing win nevertheless.
