The vibe in San Francisco was weirdly tense for a mid-January game. You could feel it. When the New York Knicks rolled into the Chase Center last Thursday night, they weren't just fighting the Golden State Warriors; they were fighting their own medical report. No Jalen Brunson. No Josh Hart. Mitchell Robinson was watching from the sidelines.
It was a mess.
Honestly, if you're a Knicks fan, you’ve probably seen this movie before. The team is grinding through a West Coast road trip, the legs are heavy, and suddenly your superstar point guard is out with a sprained right ankle. The Warriors, meanwhile, have been finding this strange, late-season second wind. They aren’t the 2017 "Death Lineup" anymore, but with Jimmy Butler now wearing a Dubs jersey and Stephen Curry still doing Steph things, they’re a headache for anyone.
The final score—126-113 in favor of Golden State—doesn't really tell the whole story. It was a game of "what ifs" and "how did that happen?"
The Jalen Brunson Void and the Karl-Anthony Towns Problem
When Brunson went down against Sacramento the night before, the Knicks' offensive identity basically evaporated. You can’t just replace 28 points and 7 assists per game with "grit." Miles "Deuce" McBride and OG Anunoby tried their best, both dropping 25 points, but there was no one to settle the team down when Golden State started hitting those demoralizing 30-footers.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a night that was statistically impressive but felt frustrating. 17 points and 20 rebounds is a monster line. Yet, he looked lonely. Without Brunson to draw gravity and feed him in the pocket, KAT was battling triple teams and a very physical (and arguably over-the-line) Draymond Green.
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Green actually picked up a Flagrant 1 for tripping Towns. Typical Draymond. He knows the Knicks are thin in the frontcourt and he leaned into the "enforcer" role to keep KAT from taking over the paint.
Jimmy Butler is the Warriors’ New Secret Weapon
People questioned the fit when the Warriors brought in Jimmy Butler. "Too many alpha personalities," they said. "The spacing will be ruined."
Wrong.
Butler was the best player on the floor on Thursday. He put up 32 points on 14-of-22 shooting. He didn’t turn the ball over once. Not once in 32 minutes of high-intensity basketball. While Curry was actually struggling early—missing his first four attempts from deep—Butler kept the Warriors afloat by living at the midrange and the free-throw line.
Curry eventually woke up, because he's Stephen Curry. He finished with 27 points, but it was Butler’s ability to stabilize the offense that prevented a Knicks upset. It’s a luxury the Warriors haven't had in years: a guy who can get a bucket when the threes aren't falling.
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The Moses Moody Breakout
We have to talk about Moses Moody. He’s been in the trade rumors for what feels like a decade, despite being 23. Against New York, he went nuclear from the corner, hitting seven 3-pointers.
- Moses Moody: 21 points (7/9 from deep)
- Brandin Podziemski: 19 points, +22 plus-minus
- De'Anthony Melton: Continues to be a defensive pest
When the Warriors' bench is outscoring you and their stars are efficient, you’re basically cooked. The Knicks' perimeter defense, which has been a sore spot all season (ranking 27th in 3-pointers allowed), just couldn't rotate fast enough to the corners.
What This Means for the Eastern Conference Race
The Knicks are now 25-16. They’re still third in the East, but they are sliding. Losing seven of your last nine games is a red flag, regardless of injuries. The "Nova Knicks" chemistry is great when everyone is healthy, but the depth is being tested in a way that suggests they might need to be aggressive before the trade deadline.
Mikal Bridges had 21, but he looked exhausted. Playing 40+ minutes a night under Tom Thibodeau is starting to show. You can see the wear in the short jumpers and the slow closeouts.
On the other side, Golden State is sitting at 23-19. They’re 8th in the West but only a few games out of a top-four seed. If Butler stays healthy and the "young" guys like Podziemski and Moody keep this up, nobody is going to want to see them in a seven-game series.
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Tactical Reality: Why New York Lost the Chess Match
The Warriors' shot distribution is wild. They lead the league in 3-point frequency, taking over 44 triples a night. New York’s defensive scheme is built on protecting the paint and forcing contested long twos.
In 2026, that’s a dangerous gamble.
The Warriors outscored the Knicks by 18 points from the three-point line alone. You can’t win a math game like that when you’re missing your best creator. The Knicks tried to pound the ball inside to Towns and Precious Achiuwa, but the Warriors' "small-ball" defense—led by Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis—was surprisingly stout.
Key Performance Numbers
The shooting splits tell a grim story for New York fans. Golden State shot 44% from deep as a team. New York? Just 33%. In a game decided by 13 points, that's the entire margin right there.
Actionable Insights for the Rest of the Season
If you're following these two teams, here is what you need to watch for in the coming weeks:
- Monitor the Brunson Ankle: The Knicks are 1-3 without him in this stretch. If this "day-to-day" injury turns into a two-week absence, they could fall into the play-in tournament range.
- The Warriors' Trade Deadline Stance: With Moody and Podziemski playing this well, Mike Dunleavy Jr. might decide to stand pat instead of hunting for a third "star." Their current chemistry with Butler is elite.
- Knicks Perimeter Defense: Thibs has to change the drop coverage. Leaving shooters like Moody and Melton open to protect the rim isn't working against elite spacing teams.
- Karl-Anthony Towns Usage: Look for the Knicks to run more "point-center" sets through KAT while Brunson is out. He had 5 assists against the Warriors, but they need him closer to 8 or 9 to keep the ball moving.
New York returns home to Madison Square Garden to face the Phoenix Suns next. They desperately need a "get right" game, but without Hart and potentially Brunson, the climb isn't getting any easier. Golden State, meanwhile, looks like they finally found their identity in the post-Klay Thompson era, and it's a lot more dangerous than people expected.