Warriors Under Review: Klay Thompson, brilliant ball movement doom Knicks

OAKLAND – The Warriors knew all along that they were going to destroy the Knicks, but they wanted to have some fun along the way.

So they toyed with them, teasing them into thinking they might stagger into an upset, until deciding minutes before halftime Tuesday night to euthanize the hapless New Yorkers.

The result was a 122-95 thrashing of an opponent as tired as it was talentless.

The Knicks left New York the day after Christmas and have been on the road ever since. By the time they got to the Warriors, at the end of the two-week trip, what little will remained was easily broken.

The Warriors took advantage, as they should have. Here are some positives and negatives culled from the simplest of victories:

POSITIVE

Clinical ball movement

With an average of 312.4 passes per game, the Warriors rank fifth in the NBA. They outdid themselves against the Knicks, with 332 passes, leading to 36 assists and seven secondary assists. Crisp, accurate passing – hitting a shooter in his personal “pocket” – is why Klay Thompson needed only four dribbles score 43 points. This coaching staff constantly preaches ball movement, and the team responded with one of its better games in that regard.

There is no better way to exploit a tired team than by passing it into capitulation.

POSITIVE

Klay Thompson in The Zone

There were times earlier this season when Thompson let his thirst to score cloud his shot selection. On this night, he was perfectly in balance. He took 29 shots, and only two were groaners. He was superb in the first half, extraordinary in the second (26 points on 15 shots). All but two of his 18 field goals were assisted. Shooting 62.1 percent overall and 43.8 percent from deep is a license to fire away.

“I love this new narrative about how ‘Klay’s back,’” Stephen Curry said after the game. He paused for a beat, adding, “That’s what Klay does.”

POSITIVE

Curry’s intelligent adjustment

Curry came out after halftime and, in less than two minutes, missed a pair of 3-point shots. He started looking for his teammates, assisting on the Warriors’ next three buckets. After missing his next shot, an eight-footer, he assisted on two of the next four bucket. Curry was 0-of-7 from the floor in the second half but rang up seven assists – more than his 5.5 per game average. He totaled as season-high 14 assists for the game – with only one assist.

His shot wasn’t falling (Curry was 5-of-19 from the field, 3-of-12 from deep), so Curry found another way to contribute.

NEGATIVE

Kevin Durant’s forced passes

Durant is second on the team in assists because he’s a willing passer and good at it. He had six assists in this game – and six turnovers. It was less a case of overpassing than making risky passes easily picked off by a mediocre defense. In one span of less than four minutes in the first quarter, he committed three turnovers, with two leading to New York buckets.

It was odd, like watching a quarterback so locked in on his receivers that he’s oblivious to the defense.