OAKLAND, Calif. — Someone didn’t get the message the Knicks were sacrificing their lone appearance at Oracle Arena against the defending champs.
Despite resting Kristaps Porzingis’ irritated knee and keeping out backup center Kyle O’Quinn (calf), the spry Knicks led the entire first half — even by as many as 10 in the second quarter.
Normalcy returned after the intermission, however, as Stephen Curry, after a brutal start, erupted for 32 points and the Warriors outpaced the Knicks in a 123-112 victory Tuesday.
On the night he officially became an All-Star, Porzingis and the Knicks agreed to have him sit out so he could ready for the Denver-Phoenix back-to-back later in the week.
“They hung in there for a while, but they’re a team that you’ve got to have a great 48 minutes,’’ Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. “They can put points on the board fast.”
For at least the first half, the Knicks got sizzling offensive outings from Michael Beasley and Courtney Lee. Beasley scored 13 of his 21 points in the first half and Lee added 13 of his 20 points in the first two quarters.
Kevin Durant controlled the game with a career-high 14 assists to go along with a 14 points on 10 field-goal attempts. He made 4-of-10 baskets — 2-of-5 from deep — and connected on all four of his free throws. He was ejected with 2:50 for getting his second technical for arguing a non-call.
Curry rallied for 17 points in the third quarter, notching seven assists and eight 3-pointers after an ice-cold start. As the Warriors made their third-quarter pullaway, Curry gave a no-look shovel pass to Klay Thompson for a layup and 74-69 lead.
Lee said the Warriors are a nightmare to guard in the pick-and-roll. “They screen for each other and put a lot of pressure on the defense,” Lee said. “With the normal pick and roll coverage, it’s like do you give up a layup or a 3? They had us on our heels. I’d say for the first 18 minutes of the first half, we played good basketball, we were moving the ball, playing together and helping each other out on defense.”
The Knicks were fluid offensively without Porzingis as their unsung scoring machine Beasley stepped in at power forward. The Warriors didn’t take their first lead until there was 9:40 left in the third quarter on a Draymond Green fast-break bucket and then poured it on from there. The Knicks didn’t get within nine the entire fourth quarter.
The Knicks fell to 1-3 on their six-game, 12-day Western Conference trip and a season-worst six games under .500 at 21-27.
But it was impossible for Hornacek to get angry with his shorthanded team.
“They played with a lot of confidence,’’ Hornacek said. “They felt like they had a chance to beat these guys. I think that’s a great step for a team to think they can win every game no matter who they’re playing. [The Warriors] proved why they’re the world champs.’’
Despite his output, Lee saw his record-setting free-throw streak of 52 straight snapped when he missed a technical free throw in the third quarter. He actually missed two on the night — going 2-of-4 after not missing on the road the entire season.
The Warriors began 1-of-12 from the 3-point stripe with Curry 1-of-7. It was unbecoming of a Warriors team (38-10) that has won two titles in the past three years and was coming off a statement loss to the mighty Rockets.
Despite Porzingis’ absence, Steve Kerr’s club allowed the Knicks to ring up 60 points in the first half and take a two-point lead.
“It was a really good offensive game,’’ Kerr said. “We didn’t get much traction defensively. They shot 52 percent for the game. We knew coming in they were a good offensive team, are hard to guard and run a lot of good stuff.’’