After spending a week-plus on the road, the Warriors are back home in the friendly confines of Oracle Arena where a matchup against the Knicks, who are third in the East, awaits. The Knicks are coming off an overtime loss to the Suns and likely will be without the service of Derrick Rose, who re-injured his back in Phoenix. The Warriors will be missing Zaza Pachulia, but are fully healthy beyond the big man and poised to extend their win-streak to three games.
How to watch
When: Thursday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Who: New York Knicks
Where: Oracle Arena
TV: TNT
Streaming: WATCH TNT app, Sling
Line: Warriors (-14)
What to watch for
Porzingis says he's ready: Perhaps playing exactly into Draymond Green's hands, Kristaps Porzingis told reporters Wednesday that he has been looking forward to to matching up against the Warriors All-Star big. Green always relishes the opportunity to compete but whenever an opponent talks about him, that fires him up more, so he may be extra amped for Porzingis. This could not bode well for Porzingis, who has been stellar in his second season, averaging 20.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
Super team vs super team: Remember when before the season started, Derrick Rose proclaimed that the Knicks were a super team? We all had a nice laugh and chalked it up to Rose being foolish. Yet while Rose's confidence may be unwarranted, the Knicks (14-11) have been playing well of late.
Golden State looks like the super team many expected once Durant announced he was signing over the summer. The Warriors have the second-best offense, a top 10 defense, the best record in the league (22-4) and an MVP candidate in Durant.
Key matchups
Porzingis vs. Green: The versatile Warriors star has made it his mission to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award and has been backing up his campaign with his play. Porzingis presents a unique matchup as he is quite tall, but Green's strength and basketball IQ present problems going the other way. It has in the past at least, as Porzingis shot terribly against Golden State last season because of Green.
Courtney Lee vs Klay Thompson: This may not seem like one of the more high-profile matchups when the Warriors have weapons with Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, but the Knicks can't let Klay Thompson also go off. Lee is a fine defender and must be cognizant of where Thompson is at all time. Thompson has shown that he can get hot and score 20-plus points like that, so it is up to Lee to prevent it, which may be easier said than done.
PICK: Warriors (-14). This is a pretty big line, especially since the Knicks have played well. Yet the Knicks are the fifth-worst defensive team in the league and give up 107.7 points per 100 possessions. Golden State meanwhile, has the second-best offense, scoring 113.9 points per 100 possessions. That doesn't bode well for the Knicks, so it wouldn't be surprising if Golden State dominates.
