Preview: Warriors hit the road for a showdown with the Knicks at the Garden

Game Details

WHO: New York Knicks (1-4) at Golden State Warriors (4-1)

WHEN: Friday, October 26 at 4:30 p.m. PST

WHERE: Madison Square Garden — New York, NY

HOW TO WATCH: NBC Sports Bay Area

BLOG BUDDY: Toasting and Posting

Key Injuries

Warriors: DeMarcus Cousins (left Achilles) out

Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis (knee) out, Kevin Knox (ankle) out, Emanuel Mudiay (ankle) day-to-day

Aside from a narrow loss in Denver, the Warriors have once again looked like an unstoppable force, and now they hit the road for the first game of a three game Eastern Conference swing.

The Warriors look to stay hot as they take on the struggling New York Knicks, who are without their star player Kristaps Porzingis who is still recovering from a torn ACL from last season. The Knicks will also be without their promising rookie Kevin Knox who suffered an ankle injury and is expected to be out anywhere from two to four weeks.

Stephen Curry in MVP form

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Warriors are 4-1 and Stephen Curry looks like he is in his unanimous MVP form from the 2015-2016 season. The swagger is there and he is shooting the lights out. Just when we thought Curry couldn’t hit another level, he puts on a show. Just take a look at some of these eye-popping stats he’s put up this season:

Three-point percentage - 52.4% (45.4% was career high in 2015-2016 season)

Three-pointers made/per game - 6.6 (5.1 per game was career high in 2015-2016 season)

True-shooting percentage - 72.9%!!! (Career high was 67.5% in 2017-2018 season)

Points per game - 34.6 (averaged 30.1 per game in 2015-2016 which was a career high)

Overall FG percentage - 55% (average 50.4% in 2015-2016 which was a career high)

Field goals attempted per game - 21.8 (averaged 20.2 per game in 2015-2016)

The sample size is small as we are looking at just a five game stretch versus an entire season, but if the first few weeks of action are any indication of what we can expect from Curry, he is looking the best he has since his last MVP season.

He poured in 51 points in just three quarters against the Wizards and could have hit 70 had Steve Kerr not decided to have him sit the entire fourth quarter with the game well in hand. Now Curry heads to Madison Square Garden where he had his official coming out party back in 2012. Expect Curry to be in his purest form and put on an absolute show in prime time at the Garden.

Prediction: Curry goes for 45 points, 8 three-pointers, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

Flame on human torch.

Is Kevin Durant ready to show up and show out in front of his future team?

Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images

Free agency concerns over Kevin Durant’s future were a big topic headed into the regular season and the biggest rumor seemed to be Durant being a hot target for the New York Knicks to acquire in free agency.

Whether it is just hot air or not, there is growing concern that Durant may leave at the end of the season and try a new challenge. With this being the Warriors only trip to New York this season, this will be a prime opportunity for the city of New York to serenade Durant.

While it seemed that Durant was a lock to sign a long term deal about a year ago, there is no telling what may happen this coming offseason when Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler and Klay Thomson all set to hit the free agency market.

The allure of New York is always enticing but the Knicks never seem to be able to snag any of the big free agents. In any case, much of the discussion headed into the showdown with the Knicks will revolve around Durant’s potential future as the beast of the east.

Will the Warriors prevail or will New York city night life remain undefeated?

While the Knicks are depleted, the Warriors true test will be their ability to resist the New York city night life. The Warriors always seem to fall victim to Los Angeles and New York city weekend road trips.

While the Warriors should show up and be fine against the Knicks, expect them to fall into a trap game against the Brooklyn Nets on an early Sunday game on the first of a back-to-back (Brooklyn Sunday and Chicago Monday). Friday and Saturday night out in the big city before a Sunday day game spells tired legs and turnovers. Dubs will split the difference and go 1-1.

Warriors - 1

New York City Night Life - 1