SAN FRANCISCO — Who needs OG Anunoby when the Knicks have Miles McBride?
It’s a reactionary statement, probably unsustainable, but definitely true Monday night, when McBride balled out in the first half, rarely left the court and chased around Steph Curry in Monday night’s 119-112 Knicks gut-check victory over the Warriors.
With Anunoby out indefinitely because of a setback to his surgically-repaired elbow, McBride dropped a career-high 26 points in 46 minutes, serving as a perimeter menace on defense while holding Curry to a pedestrian 27 points.
McBride’s 3-pointer with 3:29 left was one of the biggest shots of the evening, perhaps No. 1, because it sucked the air out of a Warriors mini-run and sent fans scrambling for the exits.
The guard was the sidekick to another Picasso from Jalen Brunson, the abstract scorer who dropped 34 points on 12 of 25 from the field.
The Knicks have won four straight, with a chance to sweep their Western Conference road trip on Thursday in Denver. Normally, the shorthanded Knicks would have no chance against the defending champs in the Mile High City.
But these Knicks (41-27) don’t seem to settle based on expectations. Their underdog identity, encapsulated by McBride’s performance Monday, has carried them to fourth in the East, just three games out of No. 2.
They’ve maintained this position without Julius Randle, who is out with a dislocated shoulder, and Mitchell Robinson, their starting center with a surgically-repaired ankle, and again without OG Anunoby, who flew home for an MRI because his elbow “flared up.”
Without any of them Monday, the Knicks led wire-to-wire in San Francisco and held an 18-4 advantage after about 5 ½ minutes. It was the opposite last month against the Warriors at MSG, where the Knicks fell in an early hole and never recovered.
But Tom Thibodeau’s squad is nothing if not resilient. It entered Curry’s home and led from the 19th second to the 48th minute. Josh Hart played all 48 minutes and notched another triple-double. Isaiah Hartenstein only needed 25 minutes for his double-double.
The night was also the triumphant return for Donte DiVincenzo, who played his first game at the Chase Center since leaving the Warriors for the Knicks in free agency. DiVincenzo broke out of a slump with 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting.
DiVincenzo had nothing but positive feelings and memories about his time in Golden State, having outplayed any contract the Warriors could’ve offered in free agency because of their cap restraints.
DiVincenzo even sought Curry’s advice before signing with the Knicks.
“If you played with him, wouldn’t you want to?” DiVincenzo said. “That’s pretty much as simple as it was. I had a relationship with him on and off the court. Obviously, I value his opinion.”
DiVincenzo was pushed to small forward because of the surprise start of McBride over Precious Achiuwa. To say that worked out is an understatement. The the guard played the entire first half and dropped 19 points, knocking down five treys on seven attempts. To make it more impressive, McBride never stopped shadowing Curry, who shot 8 for 20 with a pair of turnovers.
It was the sixth start of the season for McBride, but the first alongside Jalen Brunson. The defensive specialist, who signed a three-year, $13 million extension a few months ago, has greatly improved his efficiency this season, entering Monday night shooting 44% – including 40% from beyond the arc.
In Golden State, he knocked down 6 of 9 treys.
DiVincenzo was pushed to small forward. Hart and Hartenstein started in the frontcourt.