Stephen Curry looks all set to rewrite the NBA record books when the Golden State Warriors take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Curry is closing in on the all-time record for 3-pointers made, and he will also look to give Golden State another win against the struggling Knicks.
Elsewhere, Kevin Durant – who is coming off a 50-point outing – will welcome the red-hot Toronto Raptors to Brooklyn, while the Phoenix Suns take on the free-falling Portland Trail Blazers.
Read on below as SBOTOP takes a look at all three of the upcoming games on the NBA schedule.
Golden State Warriors @ New York Knicks
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors bounced back from their recent loss to the Philadelphia 76ers by squeaked past the Indiana Pacers 102-100 in the first leg of their back-to-back last night. The Warriors improved to 22-5 on the season.
Curry has struggled with his shot of late, but he still led the way with 26 points and hit five 3-pointers to inch closer toward the NBA’s all-time mark for 3-pointers made. He now needs just two 3-pointers to overtake Ray Allen and claim the record for himself.
Curry and the Warriors’ NBA 2021 odds of picking up another big win will be quite high as they take on the struggling Knicks, who have lost six of their last seven games.
Home court has not helped the Knicks shake off their struggles. Three of their last four losses at Madison Square Garden have come by 14 or more points.
The Knicks were without RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin in their most recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks due to Covid protocols, and the two will also miss the Warriors’ visit. Alec Burks also missed the Bucks game but is expected to return.
With both Burks and Barrett out, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau brought Derrick Rose and rookie Quentin Grimes into the starting lineup, and the two played very well. Grimes had a career-high 27 points in 40 minutes, while Rose added 18 points and seven assists.
Toronto Raptors @ Brooklyn Nets
The Raptors are on a roll. They have now won four of their last five games and are 13-14 on the season after smashing the Sacramento Kings 124-101 last night. It was a complete team effort from the Raptors, who had nine players finish in double figures.
Rookie forward Scottie Barnes continues to impress – he had 16 points and five blocks against the Kings – while Pascal Siakam is playing close to his All-Star best.
After seven straight games at home, the Raptors finally go back on the road to face the East-leading Brooklyn Nets on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Nets ended their recent four-game road trip 3-1 after beating the lowly Detroit Pistons, 116-104. Kevin Durant led the way with an NBA season-high 51 points. The 33-year-old is leading the league with 29.4 points per game while shooting a blistering 53 per cent from the field.
Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge also combined for 33 points in the absence of James Harden, who was rested. The All-Star guard is still struggling to find consistency with his shot. He is shooting just 36 per cent from the field and 21 per cent on 3-pointers through the first five games of December.
Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers
The Phoenix Suns saw their two-game win streak snapped last night against the Clippers, 111-94. The Suns were without two of their key starters in Devin Booker, who is still dealing with a hamstring injury, and Deandre Ayton, who was out due to a non-Covid illness.
Chris Paul had just nine points against his old team as the Suns simply didn’t have enough offensive firepower with both Booker and Ayton out.
Ayton’s return against the Blazers remains doubtful, which will be a blow to the Suns, who are looking to avoid just their second losing skid of the season.
Phoenix’s first losing streak in October saw them lose to Portland, but that was a markedly different Blazers team. Portland are in the midst of a poor run of NBA 2021 results, with five losses in a row and eight in their last nine.
Despite returning to the lineup, Damian Lillard is still not right as he deals with an abdominal injury. Meanwhile, CJ McCollum is still out with a collapsed lung.
Anfernee Simons stepped up with a season-high 26 points off the bench, and Ben McLemore added 15 points. But with Lillard still struggling, the Blazers will struggle to end their current slump.
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