Knicks Get Blown Off The Floor By Russell Westbrook-less Thunder
If you asked David Fizdale if his team could look any worse than they did in a sluggish and embarrassing loss at home on Sunday to the Orlando Magic, he’d probably say no.
The Oklahoma City Thunder made sure to provide Fizdale and the Knicks with more headaches during this recent swoon of blowout defeats.
The Oklahoma City Thunder overpowered the New York Knicks 128-103 on Wednesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena as they sent New York to a third straight loss.
Paul George finished with a game-high 35 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block as Oklahoma City won their second straight game and ninth in the past 10.
Oklahoma City is a far better basketball team than the New York Knicks, that much was on display on Wednesday night as they steamrolled David Fizdale’s Knicks in a easy victory at home.
The Thunder — who were without Russell Westbrook for a fourth straight game due to a ankle injury — jumped out to a 37-22 lead in the first quarter and didn’t look back as that lead would grow 27 points before game’s end.
Oklahoma City shot 53 percent from the field while hitting 16 3-pointers on the night. They held the New York Knicks to 27 percent from beyond the arc and scored a staggering 36 points off of New York’s 18 turnovers.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a team-high 20 points for the New York Knicks while sinking three 3-pointers in just 25 minutes.
Enes Kanter scored 19 points and grabbed five rebounds against his former team off of the bench for New York.
David Fizdale changed up the starting lineup for the Knicks, moving Kevin Knox and Emmanuel Mudiay into the starting lineup as he looked for a spark, but all he received was the complete opposite.
Frank Ntilikina is a liability with his shooting as he runs point guard for the Knicks first team, but coming off the bench may not solve his troubles. Damyean Dotson has recently struggled with on-ball defense, but he gives the effort, and has had some good moments.
It’s the third straight game where the Knicks have lost by 16 or more points. In total, the Knicks have lost three straight games by a grand total of 67 points as they look like a team not confident in their ability to compete.
It’s a learning curve for the Knicks, a team filled with mostly young and inexperienced players and without a veteran presence, something they could use.
Kristaps Porzingis is making progress from his ACL injury, but there’s still no timetable for his return.
Perhaps seeing him on the floor again could inspire this Knicks team to put forth a better effort, specifically on defense.
The New York Knicks will continue their three-game road trip on Friday night with a visit to the Smoothie King Center to play the New Orleans Pelicans as they look to end their dismal stretch of losses.
What are your thoughts on the New York Knicks’ latest loss? Leave your comments below!