Knicks vs. Warriors: New York’s scrappy defense faces slumping Golden State

Carmelo Anthony's absence hasn't dampened the New York Knicks' spirits. Sitting out three games with a knee injury and questionable to play Monday night against the Golden State Warriors in the Bay Area, the NBA's second-best scorer has watched his team go 2-1 in his absence with a lone loss coming in a close 95-94 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Meanwhile, the Warriors remain in a free-fall that has cost them six of their last eight games as their once potent offense has withered in effectiveness. They could receive a boost with the return of forward David Lee, who has said that he'll return from a bruised knee that kept him from the Golden State's game on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

It's not too deep in their memory banks that the Warriors needed 54 points from point guard Stephen Curry only to fall to the Knicks, 109-105, in Madison Square Garden a few weeks ago. It's also daunting that New York's defensive rise led by Tyson Chandler and company faces a Warriors team that has scored 100 or more in only two of its last eight outings.

There's a chance Golden State can regain its mojo with Klay Thompson joining Curry on the best three-point shooting team in the NBA, which is hitting 39.5 percent of its shots from beyond the arc.

The Knicks have played solid perimeter defense with Iman Shumpert, Jason Kidd and at times J.R. Smith applying disruptive perimeter pressure with Chandler patrolling the paint.

Most recently against the Utah Jazz without Anthony, the Knicks cranked up 32 longballs and hit 13 in a 113-84 win against the Western Conference's other notable slumping playoff contender.