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Knicks vs. Warriors: How & Who to Watch As a Holiday Homestand Begins

A year removed from NBA history, the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors will do battle at Madison Square Garden once again.

Geoff Magliocchetti

What a difference almost exactly a year makes, at least in terms of the ongoing records on the NBA ledgers.

It's been just over one year since the Golden State Warriors last descended upon Madison Square Garden, when Stephen Curry became the NBA's three-point king en route to yet another championship against the New York Knicks. A year and six days since Curry's Manhattan moment, the Warriors' latest title defense is spinning its wheels, a process that has taken on an even more meandering approach with Curry dealing with an injury. The Knicks, on the other hand, have won an NBA-best seven in a row, a streak they'll take into a nationally-televised contest with the defending champions.

New York and Golden State have done battle once already this season, with the Warriors taking a 111-101 decision in San Francisco on Nov. 18. Primarily sustained by the seven consecutive victories, the Knicks have gone 9-5 since then, the latest tally in the left column being a 109-106 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday evening. Tuesday's get-together with Golden State will tip off a four-game homestand at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will look to erase one of the more bizarre trends of this NBA season: as it stands, New York is the only team with a winning road record (10-6) that has a non-winning record at home (7-7). 

The Warriors are 1-1 since Curry was forced into an extended leave with a shoulder injury, the victory coming on Sunday night in Toronto. Jordan Poole had a career-best 43 points as the Warriors earned their first win of an ongoing six-game road trip, the final coming in 126-110 fashion. Golden State will finish the trip on Wednesday in Brooklyn before joining the Knicks in Christmas Day festivities at home against Memphis.

What: Golden State Warriors (15-16) @ New York Knicks (17-13) 

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

When/Watch: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT

Who's Favored: NYK -5

Keep An Eye On: Quentin Grimes

The aforementioned loss to the Warriors currently stands ... and will likely continue to stand ... as the last game where the Knicks did not have Grimes in their starting five. Last year's first-round choice played only two minutes in that loss but was inserted into the lineup for the next contest in the Phoenix.

The Knicks lost that game to the Suns as well but Grimes has taken advantage of his long-awaited promotion: in addition to his expected shooting prowess (12.4 points, 50 percent from the field, including 44 percent from three over the last seven games), Grimes has also established himself as a rebounding threat (five per game during the streak) and has been lauded for his defense. Plus/minus may mean a little more to the Knicks' icy MSG brothers in blue, but the team is plus-79 when Grimes has been on the floor. 

“He showed us how good he was defensively,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Grimes, per the New York Daily News. “I think he’ll only get better and better as he gains more knowledge, becomes more familiar with each guy, he studies and he’s just got a knack for it. He’s got a tenacity about him.”

In addition to Grimes, the Knicks have also enjoyed the increased efforts of Miles McBride since the visit to San Francisco: McBride had played a total of 10 minutes entering that game in November (the Knicks' 16th game of the year), but he's averaging 14 a game since then. 

Warrior to Watch: Jordan Poole

With the defending champions decimated by injury ... in addition to Curry, Andrew Wiggins will likely miss the rest of the road trip, Donte DiVincenzo is ill, and Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga are day-to-day ... someone needs to step up. 

Poole is used to doing so: one recalls his brilliant performance off the bench in Game 2 of last year's NBA Finals that helped change the course of the series after Gary Payton called him out. He did so again on Sunday night and has been far and away the Warriors' top scoring option with Curry sidelined for the foreseeable future.

“We all know what a special talent he is," veteran Draymond Green said of Poole, per the Monterey Herald. "He’s been going through some growing pains and to see him come out tonight and have a good game, especially with Steph being down, it was really huge and it was great to see him play that way.”

Poole has amassed 72 points in the two games that Curry has missed so far. The Knicks will have end this fairy tale if they're going to neutralize a Golden State outside game trying its best to survive.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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