The New York Knicks are back to early season form after adding to their win streak by bringing down the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not only did the victory secure their 12th-straight “W” of the run, but they proved tonight that they can beat anyone in the league in convincing fashion. What’s truly impressive is that the Knickerbockers got it done in OKC, where the Thunder have posted the league’s fourth-best home record.
The matchup was a battle of the league’s two best scorers as Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant were separated by only a tenth of a point. After tonight, coming on a 36-point performance by Melo, the lead has shifted as Carmelo’s scoring average is now 28.44 PPG while Durant’s is at 28.35 PPG. If Anthony continues on the shooting rampage he’s been on, expect him to rob Durant of what would be his fourth-straight scoring title.
Though Oklahoma City has been struggling as of late―they’ve only won six of their last ten―they continue to be one of the league’s best teams. Yes, there’s some skepticism as to whether they can be true championship contenders, and have gone 4-5 in the last nine games played against Western Conference playoff teams, but they’ve been playing some stellar basketball all year. Their plus-9.2 point-differential is the highest the league has seen since the 2007-08 Boston Celtics—who won the championship that year while posting a plus-10.2. They also shot red-hot against the Knicks, posting 57.7% from the field, 52.9% from the arc, and 84.0% from the stripe. Yet the Knicks were still able to add an “L” to their season record.
Proving their defensive pedigree, the Knicks smothered Kevin Durant who went for 7 of 17, or 41.1% from the field. While good, that’s almost ten percentage points less than his season average of 50.7%. He shot only about one less field goal attempt than his season average of 17.9 FGA and scored about his season average in PPG with 27, but the Knicks made him earn his buckets. Durant’s output at this stage in the season, and as a guy with a true-shooting percentage of 64.3%, reveals great things for Knicks fans.
With six games left in their season, with four against teams that have a good shot at beating them, the Knicks most likely will see their win streak broken before the playoffs. But it’s come at the right time as they gear up for a tough first-round matchup against Boston. I see that series going to six games, with a Melo-led Knicks team the victors.
