Warriors buck slow start, whip Knicks

NEW YORK – The shooting and passing weren’t good, though apparently coach Steve Kerr’s clipboard toss was impressive.

“He broke the clipboard, then threw it,” Draymond Green corrected.

Either way, Kerr had no reason to be mad much longer.

Klay Thompson woke the Warriors from their slowest start of the season with 17 of his 34 points in the second quarter, Green tied the franchise record with his ninth triple-double and Golden State beat the New York Knicks, 116-95, on Sunday night for its seventh straight victory.

Green made all nine shots as the Warriors (44-4) wrapped up January at 40 games over .500 even with a quiet 13 points from Stephen Curry. Playing with a nasty cut on his forehead, he was 5 for 17 from the field on a court where he once scored 54 points.

Green finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Warriors, held to a season-low 18 points in the first quarter. They charged back with 64 over the middle two quarters – the Knicks had only 65 through three – and looked back to normal after a sluggish win Saturday in Philadelphia.

Green, who leads the NBA in triple-doubles, matched Hall of Famer Tom Gola’s total from the 1959-60 season.

Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost for the fifth time in six games.

“In the third quarter, they just took it to another level of intensity,” Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. “We were right there and they went to more of a level that they’re capable of getting to and got some separation.”

A night after managing just 17 points in the fourth quarter and needing Harrison Barnes’ 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left to rescue them in a 108-105 victory over the 76ers, Golden State’s high-powered offense was still stuck in neutral to open the game. The Knicks ran off 14 straight points, helped by eight Warriors turnovers in the period, and led 20-18.

In other results, Miami clobbered Atlanta, 105-87; Orlando outlasted Boston, 119-114; Dallas routed Phoenix, 91-78; Portland edged Minnesota, 96-93; and the Charlotte Hornets thumped the Los Angeles Lakers, 101-82.