Richardson leads Warriors to victory

NEW YORK (AP) - New York coach Larry Brown is still trying to find the right combination that will bring the Knicks their first victory.

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. However, Golden State proved to be too much for New York, as Jason Richardson had 24 points to lead the Warriors to an 83-81 victory on Sunday.

"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.

"I tried not to push off too hard on it," Davis said.

Troy Murphy added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors (2-1).

Stephon Marbury led New York (0-3) with 15 points and six assists. Frye had 12 points and Eddy Curry and Trevor Ariza each added 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 74-73 with 5:46 left in the game, Richardson hit a three-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.

"It's the first road win of the season and when you play at the Garden, you always want to win," Richardson said.

Quentin Richardson was scoreless for New York until the final minute, when he hit a layup and jumper at the buzzer for the final margin.

Davis was only 5-for-17 from the field, but helped Golden State build a 46-39 halftime lead by hitting three three-pointers.

"He's a steadying influence," Golden State coach Mike Montgomery said. "He just keeps the ball in his hands and guys know that he'll be able to get them the ball."

Marbury had a tough first half and didn't hit his first shot until 5:53 left in the second quarter.

The Warriors led 24-20 after the first quarter as Jason Richardson had 10 points and Murphy added eight.

Notes: New York will begin a six-game road trip on Wednesday in Portland. The Knicks play 13 of their first 19 games on the road. ... The Warriors have scored more than 100 points in 18 of their last 21 regular-season games.