Another night, another win for the New York Knicks. This time, they brushed aside the Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors in such dominant fashion that head coach Tom Thibodeau even sat down late in the 132-94 victory.
“That was crazy,” Julius Randle said. “Three years with Thibs, I’ve never seen that.”
Thibodeau finding time to relax, even just a few seconds, is a sign of the times at Madison Square Garden. With their first triumph over the Warriors at home since 2013, the Knicks won their eighth game in a row and improved to 18-13 on the season — a mark that has them just percentage points behind the Philadelphia 76ers for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks’ eight-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the league, and tied for the second-longest this season behind the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, who each won nine in a row at various points. This is also the longest winning streak for the Knicks since they won nine consecutive games in 2021, and tied for the eighth-longest streak in franchise history.
Defense was once again the main story for the Knicks, as they handed the Warriors their second-worst defeat of the season, and the eighth-worst of the Steve Kerr era. They did so by forcing 19 turnovers and holding the Warriors under 100 points for only the second time this season. Jordan Poole was the lone Warriors player to reach the 20-point threshold, and he needed 18 tough shots to get there.
It was fitting that second-year guard Quentin Grimes drew the Poole assignment, as he’s played an important role in the Knicks’ turnaround. His effort on the perimeter is one of many reasons that the Knicks have been nearly impossible to score against during this streak. They are allowing just 98.9 points per 100 possessions over the last eight games, For comparison’s sake, the last time a team had a defensive rating under 100 for an entire season was the San Antonio Spurs in 2016.
Grimes had a solid night on the other end of the floor as well, hitting four 3-pointers en route to a 19-point, four-assist outing. During the Knicks’ winning streak, Grimes is averaging 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and two assists, while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from 3-point land. The Knicks are also plus-112 in his 271 minutes.
Up next for the Knicks are the Toronto Raptors who’ll be coming into New York for Wednesday’s game. Though it will be the second night of a back-to-back, the Knicks are 3-1 in such games this season and will be facing a Raptors team that is stuck in a major funk. The Raptors (13-18) have lost six in a row, 11 of their last 15 and are 3-12 on the road this season.