New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown acknowledged his team’s effort despite Thursday’s 126-113 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. “I thought we played good in stretches tonight. Our level of competitiveness was there throughout the game,” Brown said.
Brown highlighted the impact of Golden State’s physicality. “The biggest thing was I thought their level of physicality was there longer than ours… give them a lot of credit,” he added. He also praised his players for responding well under pressure. “We had a lot of guys bounce back and play the game the right way,” he said.
OG Anunoby drew specific praise from Brown. “OG’s aggression getting downhill was fantastic… his decisions were quick with the basketball,” he said. Brown also noted Karl-Anthony Towns’ dominance on the glass: “KAT was fantastic on the glass… eight offensive rebounds helped us stay in the game with 20 second-chance points.”
The Knicks coach stressed that the team must sustain physicality for longer stretches. “Our defensive physicality has to be there in a little bit better stretches than what theirs was tonight,” Brown said. He also addressed Towns’ foul trouble: “All of our guys, not just KAT… have to lead with their chest and show their hands. We got to do a better job in that area.”
Brown acknowledged the challenges of adjusting to opponents’ intensity. “Podz coming off the bench… impacted the game with his physicality, playmaking, and ability to knock down shots,” he said. Regarding Draymond Green, he added, “Draymond, that’s how he plays. I didn’t think it impacted us, but KAT picking up his fifth foul and us having to sit him down hurt us.”
He praised the team’s overall execution. “Offensively, I love the way we played tonight. We touched the paint, our spacing was good… we played off of two, tried to finish strong, and sprayed it when we drew a second guy,” Brown said.
Despite New York’s effort, the Warriors’ shooting proved decisive. Stephen Curry scored 27 points with seven assists, Jimmy Butler added 32 points and eight rebounds, and Moses Moody contributed 21 points on seven 3-pointers. Golden State shot 54% overall and 44% from three, while the Knicks were led by Anunoby and Miles McBride with 25 points each, Mikal Bridges added 21, and Towns had 17 points with a season-best 20 rebounds.
The loss drops New York to 25-15 in the East, while Golden State improves to 22-19. Both teams meet again Saturday, with the Warriors hosting Charlotte and the Knicks facing Phoenix.
