New York untied the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, forcing their will from beyond the arc in a fine win, 102-92.
2014 NBA scores: Knicks dominate LeBron James, Heat at MSG
A rejuvenated New York team took the reigning champs for all they were worth, and the Nuggets felt it necessary to drop 14 threes in a blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports
With J.R. Smith riding the last seat on the bench, the Knicks seemed rejuvenated as they played the Heat tight through the first half. Chris Bosh couldn't get anything going, and Dwyane Wade scored efficiently but missed all six of his free throws.
New York absolutely dominated the second half, with Miami struggling to stop their three-point attack. Raymond Felton ended up with 14 assists and the Knicks never let the Heat get too close without sinking another shot from deep. All of Iman Shumpert's 12 points came from three, and the Knicks stunned one of the best teams in the league. Even Andrea Bargnani played well.
Denver Nuggets 101, Oklahoma City Thunder 88
Oklahoma City continues to struggle even when Kevin Durant puts up big numbers. The Thunder star dropped 30 points in Thursday night's loss to the Nuggets, 101-88.
Scott Brooks' squad seemed to get stuck on offense in the absence of Russell Westbrook, relying too heavily on Durant's ability to create his own shot. It didn't help that the Nuggets had Oklahoma City's number from deep, shooting 45 percent from behind the arc and dropping a total of 14 threes.
This one was ugly, and the Thunder looked ugly in it. Something has to be done -- on both sides of the ball -- before they start to slip too far into the middle of the pack in the Western Conference playoff race. It’s a veteran team, they will be able to figure out how to win without Durant having to score half their points.
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