Josh Huestis led a trio of standout scoring efforts to spearhead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 99-87 victory over the winless New York Knicks in an Orlando Summer League matchup Monday afternoon at Amway Center.
The Thunder (2-0) found little defensive resistance from the Knicks (0-3), allowing them to post a 50 percent success rate from the field, including 52 percent from three-point range. Huestis, who averaged 7.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in 15.5 minutes per game for the Thunder last season, was joined by Dakari Johnson and Markel Brown in hitting or eclipsing the 20-point mark on the afternoon. OKC also out-rebounded New York by a 38-30 margin, and managed to keep the Knicks at bay in the second half after building a 55-44 halftime lead. Despite their third straight loss to open Summer League play, the Knicks can walk away with some positives, having shot 48.4 percent from the field overall.
Huestis provided a total of 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting (including 4-for-8 from three-point range) and added seven rebounds. Johnson, a 2015 second-round pick, was next with 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Third-year guard Brown, who spent his first two NBA seasons with the Nets, followed with 20 points, two rebounds, an assist and two steals. Vince Hunter tallied 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and a block. Second-year point guard Semaj Christon turned in six points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
The Knicks were led by the promising Chasson Randle for the second straight day, as he shot 75 percent from the field on his way to 20 points, which he supplemented with two assists and a rebound. Shooting guard Damyean Dotson and forward Jamel Artis both contributed 13-point efforts, with the former adding five rebounds and an assist and the latter providing a pair of dimes. Luke Kornet was next in line, supplying nine points, four rebounds and an impressive four blocks. First-round pick Frank Ntilikina continued to sit out with his sore right knee.
The Thunder next take the court on Tuesday afternoon against the Charlotte Hornets, while the Knicks are off until Wednesday when they’ll face the Orlando Magic.
