The Knicks sagged when either Stoudemire or Anthony was on the bench, and sometimes even when they were on the court.

“I’m not making any excuses,” Chandler said, “but we’re a young team that’s coming together and we have to build. And unfortunately we’re learning things on the fly.”

There will be no time to work out the kinks. The Knicks immediately headed to Los Angeles for a Thursday night game against the Lakers. They close the trip Saturday in Sacramento.

For the second straight game, the Knicks benefited — or should have — from a noteworthy absence. This time it was Curry, who sat out the game to rest an injured ankle. Still, the Knicks’ backcourt had trouble holding its counterparts in check. Ish Smith, who replaced Curry, had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Brandon Rush added 19 points off the bench.

“Just one of those games where you see we’re not quite ready yet,” D’Antoni said.

David Lee, the former Knicks center, added 13 points in what will be his only game against the Knicks this season. Because of the abbreviated schedule, the Warriors will not visit New York, which also means that Mark Jackson, the former Knicks star, will have to wait a year to make his coaching debut at Madison Square Garden.

Jackson is trying to infuse the Warriors with a defensive conscience, and he beamed after watching them hold down Anthony and Stoudemire.

“This is going to be strange to hear, but we are a defensive team,” Jackson said. “It’s a shocker.”

The night featured four more Knick debuts, as Bibby, Novak and Jordan joined a rotation thinned by injuries to Jared Jeffries and Iman Shumpert. The fourth was Jeremy Lin, who entered with 1:27 to play and the game out of reach. The mix-and-match lineups were reminiscent of a preseason game, and underscored how weak the Knicks’ bench is.