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The West Coast surely hasn’t been as kind as the New York Knicks had hoped, but the Knicks get another chance to overcome their early struggles on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET (MSG) when they wrap up a three-game road trip against the Sacramento Kings.

The left side of the country has already delivered the Knicks two losses and handed Amare Stoudemire a sprained ankle. Stoudemire suffered the ankle injury during New York’s 99-82 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Knicks’ second consecutive double-digit defeat after falling to Golden State 92-78. He did not practice on Friday and his availability against the Kings is still uncertain.

The Kings have lost two straight since a promising victory against the Los Angeles Lakers to open the season. Marcus Thornton has led the way with 20.3 points per game, joined in double figures by Tyreke Evans (14.3 points), DeMarcus Cousins (14.3 points and 11.3 rebounds) and Jimmer Fredette (10.0 points).

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Mark Jackson didn’t see much significance in coaching Golden State to a win against his former team.

It was the way the Warriors beat the New York Knicks that meant the most to Jackson — doing it with a defensive focus that hasn’t been seen from this franchise on a consistent basis in more than a decade.

Then again, that’s been Jackson’s message to his players ever since he was hired in June.

“This is going to be strange to hear: We’re a defensive team,” Jackson said following Golden State’s 92-78 victory Wednesday night. “It’s a shocker. Great players are going to come in and have great nights, but our job is make it tough. We had a bad first half offensively, but the defense gave us a chance to win a ballgame.”

Golden State definitely made it tough on New York’s All-Star duo of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, who combined to go just 8 of 27 from the floor after teaming for 58 points in the Knicks’ Christmas Day win over the Boston Celtics.

Stoudemire finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Anthony had 13 points.

“The whole game our offense was awful,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We weren’t in synch, we didn’t make shots, we turned the ball over and we gave them layups. Whatever kind of mistakes you can make, we made. It was awful.”

Monta Ellis shook off a terrible first half to finish with 22 points and eight assists, while Brandon Rush added 19 points off the bench for Golden State (2-1).

Playing without injured guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors led by as much as 19 before cruising to their second straight impressive win over an Eastern Conference team. Two nights earlier they beat the Chicago Bulls 99-91.

Ish Smith had 11 points, four assists and six rebounds while starting in place of Curry, who sat out the game after injuring his surgically repaired ankle against Chicago.

Ellis went just 4 of 15 in the first half but scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, midway through the fourth quarter when Golden State pulled away.

But it was the Warriors’ defense that made the biggest difference — a refreshing change considering the team’s recent history of shunning that part of the game.

“That’s our focus, defense,” Ellis said. “Just going out there getting the job done. That’s what’s keeping us in the game against great teams like this. Our defense kept us in the game and the offense won the game for us.”

No one else could pick up the scoring slack for the Knicks, who were also outrebounded 47-31 by the smaller but quicker Warriors.

Landry Fields had 13 of his 14 points in the first half. Bill Walker also scored 14 for the Knicks, who failed in their bid to start the season with consecutive victories for the first time since 1999.

Former Knick David Lee scored 13 points for Golden State (2-1).

This was the first stop on a three-game trip to the West Coast for New York.

The Knicks, who beat the Celtics on Christmas Day to kick off the truncated NBA schedule after losing all eight games to Boston in 2010, play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday. They return to Northern California to face the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

The Warriors played without Curry, who landed awkwardly on his surgically repaired right ankle in the fourth quarter of Monday’s win over Chicago.

It was the second time in seven days that Curry injured the ankle. He also missed eight games last season because of lingering ankle problems.

“It was the best thing to give it some time to heal,” Jackson said before the game. “Bottom line is he got hurt landing on somebody and we are going to give it some time to heal.”

Smith started in place of Curry and scored seven of Golden State’s first 10 points. He finished 5 of 13 from the floor.

Anthony and Stoudemire couldn’t get much of anything to fall. The duo repeatedly settled for long jumpers, a trend that continued deep into the fourth quarter.

Even with their two stars off to a slow start, the Knicks took a 43-37 lead into the half.

Golden State closed the gap with a 15-5 run early in the second half, tied the game at 64 when Rush made a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter, then took control with 20-6 burst in the fourth.

The Warriors opened a 19-point lead with 4:09 left when the Knicks frustrations began to show. Tyson Chandler tossed Lee to the ground and was whistled for a technical foul, bringing the sold-out crowd at Oracle Arena to its feet.

“I’m not making any excuses, but we’re a young team that’s coming together and we have to build,” said Chandler, who was held to two points and three rebounds. “Unfortunately, we’re learning things on the fly.”

Notes: The Warriors have agreed to terms with 7-foot-1 free agent center Kyrylo Fesenko on a one-year contract pending Fesenko passing a physical. Fesenko, who spent the past four seasons mostly as a backup with the Utah Jazz, was in Golden State’s locker room before the game but neither nor the Warriors can talk about the deal until it is complete. … The Warriors have sold out the first three games on this four-game homestand. … Former Golden State guard Jeremy Lin, who signed with the Knicks on Tuesday, entered the game late in the fourth quarter and missed his only shot attempt.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

By Tom Ziller

– NBA Editor

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Dec 29, 2011 – The New York Knicks started their only West Coast road trip off in disappointing fashion on Wednesday, losing to the Golden State Warriors 92-78. The Knicks’ offense was ice-cold, as New York shot 40 percent from the floor and hit just four of 21 three-pointers. The Knicks (1-1) couldn’t do anything with those misses, either, grabbing just four offensive rebounds in 40 opportunities.

Monta Ellis led the Warriors (2-1) in scoring with 22 with 8-22 shooting and eight assists, but Brandon Rush deserves some attention, too. The recent acquisition scored 19 on 15 total shot attempts off the bench, and added six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 26 minutes. David Lee also continued his strong start with a muted but effective 13-point, five-rebound night. Lee’s most important contribution was in getting Tyson Chandler into bad foul trouble; Chandler played just 21 minutes, and Lee drew nine free throw attempts.

Carmelo Anthony shot just 3-13 from the floor against Dorell Wright and Rush. Amar’e Stoudemire shot 5-14 on his way to a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.

The Knicks visit the Lakers on Thursday and the Kings on Saturday before returning to the East Coast.

For more on the Warriors, visit Golden State Of Mind. For more on the ‘Bockers, visit Posting And Toasting.

Read More: Carmelo Anthony (F – NYK), Monta Ellis (G – GSW), Tyson Chandler (C – NYK), Dorell Wright (F – GSW), David Lee (F – GSW), Amare Stoudemire (F – NYK), Brandon Rush (G – GSW), New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors, Dec 28, 2011 10:30 PM EST

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The New York Knicks head out on the road to take on the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night (Dec. 28). It’s a tough game because of the depth and youth that the Warriors have on their side, but a good aspect of this match-up is that Stephen Curry may miss the game with an injury.

Curry is one of the best young guards in the NBA, but he is down with an injured ankle that he suffered in the preseason and then re-aggravated. Curry averaged 18.6 points and 5.8 assists as the point guard for the Warriors last season and was looking to improve upon those numbers. He played in the first two games for the Warriors this season, averaging 12.5 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals, so having him out of the game really helps New York. There is a chance he feels better by game time, but even if he plays, Curry will have limited mobility.

For the Knicks, this is a great chance to prove something to the rest of the league. Having a road trip to the West Coast this early in the season is a tough endeavor, with games against Golden State Wednesday (Dec. 28), the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday (Dec. 29) and the Sacramento Kings on Saturday (Dec. 31). Hopefully it’s a test that the team can pass, and that by the end of December the Knicks are sitting in first place with a 4-0 record.

The Knicks are also still trying to figure things out with a host of new players this season. Guard Mike Bibby is back in the lineup and should provide some minutes off the bench and that is extremely important with Iman Shumpert out due to an injury he suffered in the first game.

The starters for the Knicks are point guard Toney Douglas, shooting guard Landry Fields, small forward Carmelo Anthony, power forward Amare Stoudemire and center Tyson Chandler. For the Warriors, the starters could shift if Curry is unable to play. The most likely scenario is that Monta Ellis shifts to point guard and Brandon Rush joins the starting lineup as the shooting guard. Starting at small forward is Dorell Wright, at power forward is David Lee and at center is Andris Biedrins.

The Warriors are averaging 92.5 points per game while giving up 98 per game through the first two opponents. The team has posted a 1-1 record and is grabbing 42 rebounds per night. New York scored 106 points in the game against the Boston Celtics and gave up 104 points. The team only managed 31 rebounds though, making the Knicks the worst rebounding team in the NBA so far. Hopefully that can change a bit on Wednesday night.

Anthony is also the leading scorer in the NBA with 37 points per game and Chandler is second in blocks at 6 per game. Those are just stats from one game and the Knicks hope they can get duplicated on Wednesday night. Start time is at 10:30 p.m. ET and the game is on NBA TV for fans to watch.

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Sources:

NBA Statistics

Full Knicks Schedule

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

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By Jared Smith

– College Sports Writer

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Dec 28, 2011 – After earning a dramatic season-opening victory over the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day the New York Knicks begin a three-game, West Coast road trip Wednesday, as the Knicks visit the Golden State Warriors (1-1) and the ORACLE Arena (10:30 p.m. ET on MSG). After the contest, the Knicks (1-0) will then play at the Los Angeles Lakers, Thursday (10:30 p.m. on TNT), and at the Sacramento Kings, Saturday (8 p.m. on MSG).

On Wednesday, New York will search for its second consecutive victory to start the season, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by the franchise since 1999. The game will be a reunion with former Knick Mark Jackson, who’s now the Warriors head coach, and could be the debut of newly-acquired guard Jeremy Lin, who was claimed off waivers Monday and will return to the Bay Area where he played last season.

On Thursday, the Knicks will travel to Staples Center to play the Lakers (1-2), who will be playing their fourth game in five days. On Tuesday, behind 26 points from Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles earned a 96-71 victory over the Utah Jazz and snapped a two-game losing streak.

The West Coast swing ends Saturday, when New York visits the always rowdy Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, CA. The Kings (1-1) will be coming off a Thursday match up with the visiting Chicago Bulls. As of Wednesday, guard Marcus Thorton is the squad’s leading scoring with 20.5 points per game.

Here’s the New York Knicks’ upcoming schedule:

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Read More: Kobe Bryant (G – LAL), New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors, Dec 28, 2011 10:30 PM EST

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