Marbury starts, but the Knicks lose again

NEW YORK -- The message was loud and clear: New York Knicks fans were disgusted with the team.

Isiah Thomas didn’t blame them.

Baron Davis had 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors ruined Stephon Marbury’s return to the starting lineup Tuesday night with a 108-82 victory, sending New York to its seventh straight loss.

Marbury scored 18 points, but the Knicks were never in the game in the second half and were booed often over the final three quarters. So was Thomas, who saw no results from his decision to demote Marbury last week and heard the familiar “Fire Isiah!” cries on a few occasions.

“They were right. What they saw tonight, if I had paid my money to see this game, I’d be upset also,” said Thomas, who said Monday he wasn’t worried about losing his job. “This is New York, and when you’re playing well you get cheered, and you play this poorly you get booed and there’s a lot of venom that comes at you.”

Stephen Jackson had 23 points for the Warriors, who have won three straight after an 0-6 start.

Zach Randolph had 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks.

Marbury was demoted last week and responded by skipping a game in Phoenix. He served as a reserve for the final three games of New York’s trip, then was told at the Knicks’ shoot-around Tuesday that he was returning to the lineup.

Marbury was introduced last during pregame introductions, as usual, and loudly booed -- though not as heavily as Thomas. The boos started again as soon as Marbury got the ball after the opening tip, and resumed every time he touched the ball in the early going.

“That’s how they feel,” Marbury said. “You’re never going to control how somebody feels.”