Derek Fisher and his coaching staff sent a clear message to the team and the media about tonight’s matchup with Oklahoma City: With Kevin Durant out, winning would mean slowing Russell Westbrook, which would require all five players on the floor working together for 48 minutes.
They weren’t lying–Westbrook went for 34 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals, and nearly led the Thunder back from a 16-point deficit. But the Knicks read the scouting report, and they went out and executed accordingly in an impressive 93-90 victory to begin a four-game road trip.
They relied on Carmelo Anthony (25 points, 5 rebounds) and Arron Afflalo (14 points) to set the tone early — New York’s starters built a 22-16 lead in the game’s opening 9:45, a grueling stretch of mostly uninterrupted play before the first timeout — and make big shots down the stretch. They relied on Robin Lopez (7 points, 7 assists, 3 blocks) to protect the paint, and the big man added a perfect 5-for-5 line from the stripe to helped save the win.
Once again, the bench provided significant contributions as Fisher’s club extended its lead in the second half: Langston Galloway’s five steals created opportunities to push the pace; Lance Thomas (12 points) made two 3s and threw down a ferocious fastbreak dunk; Derrick Williams (9 points) gave the Knicks their biggest lead (82-66) with back-to-back 3s early in the fourth.
Westbrook would put the team on his back, scoring 15 points in the fourth, including the Thunder’s last nine as they cut it to lead to three. But the Knicks hung in there and answered, with clutch fadeaway jumpers from Anthony and Afflalo helping to preserve the win.
The defensive effort remained consistent all night, and Oklahoma City managed just 3-for-29 from downtown, while New York connected on 12 of 20. Twelve Knicks saw the floor, and nearly all had a hand in Westbrook shooting 11-for-29.
