Rockets fire in New York to inflict further home misery on Knicks.
Despite there being only two games on the NBA schedule on Thursday night, it wasn’t one to be missed as the Golden State Warriors left it late to seal victory over Western Conference rivals the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Starting off in the Big Apple though, there was another home defeat for the New York Knicks after their 109-106 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Despite 45 points from Carmelo Anthony and another impressive performance from Andrea Bargnani, the visitors were led by James Harden and former Knicks star Jeremy Lin.
Harden scored 36 points after sitting out the last game with a foot injury, and along with Lin and Chandler Parsons they were able to execute on the offensive end while Dwight Howard struggled under the watchful eye of Bargnani.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson insisted that his players will get it right as they continue to learn about each other and the new arrivals, but having now slipped to 1-4 at home they will need a turnaround sooner rather than later.
That encounter was merely the warm-up for what was to come on Thursday night, with Oklahoma City visiting the Oracle Arena in Oakland hoping to stop the “Splash Brothers” and Co.
They were unable to do so though as Klay Thompson had 27 points with 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range, while Stephen Curry added 22 after going 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
With the additional presence of David Lee inside who contributed a further 20 points, the Warriors were seemingly coasting to victory at one stage as they built a sizeable lead.
Unfortunately for the hosts, Kevin Durant (20), Serge Ibaka (27) and Russell Westbrook (31 points) had other ideas, with the latter draining a long three with 2.3 seconds remaining to seemingly seal the win for coach Scott Brooks.
However, the drama didn’t end there as Andre Iguodala received the ball from the inbound play and hit a fade-away jump-shot to send the crowd delirious and secure a confidence-boosting win for the Warriors.
NBA Results:
Houston Rockets 109-106 New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder 115-116 Golden State Warriors
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