In the battle between the two leading scorers in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony came out on top, and the New York Knicks defeated the Kevin Durant-led Oklahoma City Thunder, 125-120. The Knicks are now on a 12-game winning streak.
Knicks vs. Thunder final score: Knicks defeat Thunder in battle of No. 2 seeds, 125-120
The New York Knicks captured their 50th win of the season as they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in a battle of the second seeds.
The Knicks' offense was fired up throughout the game. In each of the first three quarters they scored at least 30 points. In the fourth quarter, however, their offense stagnated and suddenly the Thunder tied the game with just over five minutes left. The Thunder made a charge with Reggie Jackson, Russell Westbrook, and Durant going blow-for-blow with the Knicks down the stretch, but New York held out.
Anthony scored 36 points and had a double-double as he pulled down 12 rebounds. Nine of those rebounds were on the offensive end, most notably following and tipping in his shots in the fourth quarter to stifle Oklahoma City's run. This is the fourth-straight game that Anthony scored 30 or more points. Raymond Felton had 16 points and eight assists for the Knicks.
Durant scored 27 points on 17 field goal attempts, but spent much of his time at the free throw line making 13-of-15 attempts from the charity stripe. The leading scorer in the NBA showed he’s more than just a scorer, as he also had seven assists and blocked four shots.
Russell Westbrook nearly finished with a triple-double with 37 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. J.R. Smith struggled with his shot, making only seven of his 18 field goals while scoring 22 points. His three-point field goal late in the fourth served as the dagger though, and the Knicks held on for a big road victory.
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