The Golden State Warriors, minus superstar Steph Curry, travel to the Big Apple to take on the New York Knicks at fabled Madison Square Garden. If the season were to end today, the defending champion Warriors would be on the outside looking in at the Western Conference playoffs. They currently sit in 11th place in the conference and a game under .500 at 15-16. The Knicks, meanwhile, have won seven straight games and suddenly find themselves in the sixth slot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The opening tip is scheduled for 7:30pm EST.

Wounded Warriors
The Golden State Warriors head into New York to square off against the Knicks on the heels of just their third road win of the season. With Steph Curry out indefinitely with a shoulder injury, Jordan Poole scored a career-high 43 points as the Warriors upended the Toronto Raptors, 126-110 on Sunday night. It was the Warriors first win in five tries without Curry this season and just their second game in a row without him as the former MVP continues to recover from injury. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green came through a well with 17 points apiece and Green added nine rebounds. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Golden State as they try to hold down the forte in Curry’s absence. Kevon Looney, who had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, realizes the importance of this stretch without Curry.
“It shows how good we can be,” Looney said of winning without Curry. “It’s always going to be hard to win when you’re missing one of the best players in the league. He’s going to be gone for a while so we’ve got to get used to trying to win without him. Hopefully we’re in a good spot when he comes back.”

The Warriors will need more of the same from the likes of Poole, Thompson and Green on Tuesday night against the Knicks. The Warriors are now currently without their two leading scorers in Curry (30 ppg) and F Andrew Wiggins (19.1 ppg) and will need added production, primarily from Poole and Thompson. Thompson has begun to round into the form that made him a five-time all-star over his career. Over the course of his last ten games, Thompson is averaging just under 20 points per game and shooting 39% from long range, both up from his season averages of 18 points per game and 38% 3pt shooting.

Knicks Heating Up
The New York Knicks are playing their best ball of the season heading into this matchup with the defending NBA champion Warriors. The Knicks have won seven straight games including four games on the road during this run. On Sunday in Indianapolis, New York rallied to beat the Pacers 109-106. The lead changed hands 19 times in the game heading into the final minute. Julius Randle made two of his six free throws over the final minute and the Knick held on for the win. Randle finished with a double-double of 25 points and 14 rebounds. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 30 points, shooting 11-of-22 from the field and hitting three 3pt field goals in the win. RJ Barrett added 24 points for the red-hot Knicks.
“To win on the road and like this, it was tough,” Randle said. “It was a hard game, but we got it done.”

During their current seven-game winning streak, the Knicks are scoring over 112 points per game and shooting 44% from the field. They have knocked down 36% of their 3pt shots and turning the ball over 14 times per game. The Knicks are also averaging 51 rebounds per game during this stretch. Randle is averaging a double-double during this stretch, scoring nearly 27 points per game while averaging over 11 rebounds per game. Defensively, the Knicks have been outstanding, third in the league in opponent’s shooting percentage and fifth in opponent’s 3pt shooting percentage.