YESTERDAY IN THE NBA
WARRIORS at KNICKS:
Jason Richardson scored 24 points to lead Golden State over New York 83- 81, keeping Larry Brown and the Knicks winless.
Desperate for a win, Brown tinkered with the New York lineup, playing rookies David Lee, Channing Frye and Nate Robinson together, and it seemed to spark the Knicks.
“ I won’t play the rookies all the time, but they earned it,’’ Brown said. “ It’s going to take some time. We’re trying to figure out who can play and who can help us.’’
Lee, who saw his first action of the season after being on the inactive list the first two games, had seven points during a 16- 6 run that spanned the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth.
“ It felt good to be in there,” said Lee, who was constantly hustling to keep balls alive and finished with 10 rebounds. “ They recognize I’m a hard worker and that’s what I’m going to continue to do every time I step onto a floor.’’ Golden State guard Baron Davis returned to the starting lineup after missing Friday’s loss to Utah with a strained hamstring. He had 16 points and nine assists. Troy Murphy added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors ( 2- 1).
“ I tried not to push off too hard on it,” Davis said. Stephon Marbury led New York with 15 points and six assists. Channing Frye added 12 points and Eddy Curry and Trevor Ariza each had 11.
Curry scored eight in the first quarter as the Knicks kept trying to give him the ball in the post. He got into foul trouble again, and did not return after picking up his fourth foul with 3: 16 left in the third quarter.
“ When he gets into a little better shape and stays out of foul trouble, he’ll stay in the game for longer stretches,” Brown said. With Golden State trailing 7473 with 5: 46 left in the game, Richardson hit a 3- pointer as the shot clock expired to give the Warriors the lead for good. Davis added a layup to give the Warriors a four- point lead. He and Richardson combined to hit five of eight free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.