NEW YORK _ Kevin Durant had his Garden moment. The Knicks are hoping there will be a lot more in another jersey.
If there were any doubts about how such a player _ just one player _ could drastically change a team, Durant reminded the Knicks why they should do everything possible to pursue the most complete offensive force in the NBA.
Largely a spectator through the first three quarters to Steph Curry's shooting attempts, Durant exploded to score 25 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter of a 128-100 victory for the reigning champs.
He settled into Madison Square Garden on Friday night _ the place he spoke glowingly of a night earlier _ and casually killed the Knicks.
As a result, the Knicks' surprising 3-point lead after the third quarter turned into a 28-point loss. The Knicks (1-5) lost their fifth straight, watching helplessly as their No. 1 free-agent target torched them from all over the floor.
As Durant said Friday, he wasn't impressed by the billboard pleading for him to sign with the Knicks. But the 30-year-old understands the attention because it's a product of "being a good player."
Durant was introduced to a strong ovation from the Garden crowd, but, otherwise, there were no outward signs of recruitment. No signs in the stands. No chants. Certainly no welcome mat from the Knicks players.
Late in the second quarter, Durant was at the center of some chippy moments. He and Enes Kanter started jawing back-and-forth, which wasn't surprising given their history. Kanter was a member of the Thunder when Durant left in free agency, and he was an outspoken critic of that decision.
But Durant also got an earful from Mitchell Robinson, who was assessed a tech for whatever he said. Unrelated, DeMarcus Cousins was ejected in the first quarter for berating the referee. Cousins was in a suit and inactive, still recovering from Achilles surgery. He's a hot head.
So there were some tense moments, and another Knicks loss.
But mostly, it was a positive game for this young team and coach David Fizdale, who tore up the starting lineup.
From Wednesday's blowout defeat in Miami to Friday's loss, the only player who kept his starting position was Tim Hardaway Jr. at shooting guard. Kanter was shockingly removed from the lineup for Robinson.
Trey Burke and Lance Thomas were also replaced by Damyean Dotson and Noah Vonleh. Frank Ntilikina remained in the lineup but moved from small forward to make his first-ever start at point guard.
He put up an encouraging 17 points in 26 minutes.
"I like the idea of what they bring defensively. For the most part, all of those guys have been playing really well," Fizdale said. "I want to see them together. A lot of them are guys that we're looking to move forward with in the future so let's see how they play together."
They managed to hang with the Warriors until Durant took over.
Curry finished with 29 points on 10 of 18 shooting.
