The New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors will square off this Friday for an East vs. West clash at Chase Center in San Francisco. Check out our preview of this matchup below.

Catch this game live on Friday, January 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM, Manila time

Away: New York Knicks (25-15, 8-11 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Jalen Brunson (Doubtful)
  • Josh Hart
  • Mikal Bridges
  • OG Anunoby
  • Karl-Anthony Towns

The Knicks have not looked right since the calendar flipped to 2026, and perhaps nothing screamed louder about that than their 112-101 loss on Thursday on the road against the Sacramento Kings. 

What made the loss uglier for New York was the injury suffered by star point guard Jalen Brunson. He left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury and didn’t return. 

That was not a good sign for his availability against the Warriors. 

If Brunson sits out the meeting with the Dubs, there will be more on the shoulders of Karl-Anthony Towns on offense. Towns needs a bounce-back performance after scoring only 13 points on 5/14 shooting on Thursday. The same can be said for Mikal Bridges, who needed 20 attempts to get to 19 points.

The Knicks have lost six of their last eight games, but are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games as the visiting team versus the Warriors, dating back to 2019.

Home: Golden State Warriors (22-19, 14-6 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Stephen Curry
  • Moses Moody
  • Jimmy Butler III
  • Draymond Green
  • Quinten Post

The Warriors also played on Thursday, but unlike the Knicks, Golden State took care of its business, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers, 119-97.  

Stephen Curry scored only seven points on 2/9 shooting, but he dished out 11 assists, while De’Anthony Melton and Jimmy Butler led the team in scoring. 

Melton came off the bench and fired 23 points, while Butler had 16 points. Curry’s measly scoring production against the Trail Blazers can be bad news for New York, as the two-time league Most Valuable Player could be due for a strong rebound on offense this Friday. 

On the season, Curry is putting up 28.1 points, while shooting 38.8 percent from the field.  Meanwhile, Golden State’s defense has tightened up of late, having posted a 119.5 defensive rating in its last five outings — 10th in the league in that span.

The Warriors are 3-1 against the spread in their last four home games.

Picks

Spread: New York Knicks (+7.5)
Over/Under: Over (226.5)