No matter where we looked on a recent Monday night at Knockout Bar and Grill, we could see the Golden State Warriors absolutely demolishing the Spurs in a game that was supposed to be competitive. No football and no Sharks meant the Warriors had a monopoly on the Sunnyvale establishment’s wall-to-wall flat screens.

Knockout draws a good-sized crowd for the usually slow restaurant night, but the large dining room and long bar easily accommodates everyone. It’d be easy to reconfigure the glossy wooden tables for a large group wanting to watch a game.

We started off with The Baron appetizer ($9), which consists of three crispy chicken sliders garnished with kale, pineapple slaw and a side of buffalo sriracha sauce. The light, well-balanced sliders set the tone for the rest of the offerings: upscale bar food that manages a few classy twists.

Off the draft beer list I ordered a pint of Goose Island Honkers Ale ($6), which joins eight other taps of mostly mainstream craft and import beers like Firestone Pale Ale and Stella. The bottle list is longer, with a couple from 10 Barrel, Gordon Biersch and Deschutes breweries, in addition to the usual Bud and Coors. Though Knockout doesn’t have a full bar, they do have a larger wine list than usual for a sports bar, with around 20 bottles divided between seven varietals.

Our dinner order sounded like a Royal Rumble cast. The Mauler ($13), a steak and veggies dish, came out medium rare just as ordered, while The Spider ($9, plus $2 for fries), a burger topped with a jalapeño bleu cheese aioli, ended up a bit over-charred. The Eagle ($10), one of eight 10-inch pizzas, stood out from the pack with just-right salmon and subtle notes of rosemary and dill rounding out the flavor. For the price, large portions and quality, no one was complaining.

The rest of the food menu includes sports bar staples like buffalo wings ($7) and nacho fries with the works ($7 with bacon, sour cream and chives), plus several entrée salads and pasta dishes.

After our meal we played a couple games on one of Knockout’s two pool tables, watching Stephen Curry around-the-world Tony Parker on a killer transition layup. A couple pinball tables line the back; perhaps a nod to the space’s previous tenant, The Depot pizzeria, known for its vintage machines.

Knockout Bar and Grill
919 E. Duane Ave., Sunnyvale