There was little out of the ordinary in the Warriors’ 111-101 home victory over the New York Knicks on Friday.
It was a win that featured six Warriors scoring in double figures paced by Stephen Curry, who paired a team-high 24 points with 10 assists and now ranks third in the NBA in scoring.
Draymond Green added 10 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. Klay Thompson scored 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting for the Warriors, who claimed their sixth consecutive win at Chase Center by springing to an 18-point lead behind their veteran starting unit.
What continues to bedevil the Warriors is their effort on the road, where they are winless in eight games. Golden State will be in Houston on Sunday to face the Rockets seeking their first road win.
The reigning champions have yet to muster the same consistency away from home. It’s been a bizarre set of circumstances for a team with such a strong veteran presence and one accustomed to dizzying levels of success. The victory over the Knicks provided another snapshot of how the Warriors perform when they are at their best.
“A lot of room to grow,” said Curry, who shot 5 of 13 from behind the arc and posted his league-leading eighth game with at least five 3-pointers made. “We’re nowhere near where we want to be. Still under .500, still struggling to put a sequence of games together so no panic. Just attention to detail and understanding we have what it takes, we’ve just got to get it done.”
The Rockets would appear to be a likely candidate to hand deliver the Warriors their first road triumph. Houston coughed up a 20-point first-half lead in falling to the Indiana Pacers 99-91 at home on Friday, leaving the Rockets with only one victory at Toyota Center this season.
Houston continues to struggle to cobble together complete performances. For a second consecutive game, the Rockets held an opponent below 100 points, even limiting the Pacers to just 10 points in the opening period. However, the Rockets labored initiating their offense without guard Kevin Porter Jr., who was sidelined by lower left back soreness. While Porter has committed an NBA-high 60 turnovers, he leads the Rockets averaging 5.8 assists per game.
“Not having KPJ makes a difference,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “He’s a good player.
“When we don’t have our starting point guard it’s hard to have guys out there who can get us into a bunch of stuff. … Our game is based on having multiple ballhandlers on the floor, and there were times when we didn’t.”
Porter is listed as doubtful for Sunday.
Without Porter, the Rockets recorded more turnovers (17) than assists (15) against the Pacers. Their primary ballhandlers in his absence combined for 10 turnovers, with second-year guard Jalen Green responsible for six while Eric Gordon and Daishen Nix posted two apiece.
The Rockets rank 28th in assists per game (21.3) and 26th in assist percentage (55.8) with or without Porter.
–Field Level Media