The Thunder (7-6) fell closer to .500 with a 93-90 home loss to the Knicks (7-6) Friday night.
Kevin Durant (left hamstring) was out again. Coach Billy Donovan said he’s “progressing,” however, and they’ll know his status in the next couple of days.
Dion Waiters started in place of Durant, and quickly made his presence known scoring six points in the first quarter. The Knicks shot 80-percent from the perimeter in the first, however, and led 25-20 at the buzzer.
The Knicks bench topped the Thunder’s second unit to open the second quarter, going up 36-29 with 5:48 to play. Oklahoma City’s starters re-entered the game after a Donovan timeout, and narrowed the Knicks’ lead to four at halftime.
The Thunder shot 15-percent from the three-point line in the first half, while the Knicks shot a game-high 60-percent of their three-point attempts. Carmelo Anthony led New York with 15 points in the first half, while Russell Westbrook led all Thunder scorers with 13.
The third quarter started much like how the first half ended. The Thunder’s defense forced stops, but couldn’t spark any offensive production. Every time the Thunder would go on a run, the Knicks responded with a run of their own.
Oklahoma City turned the ball over eight times, which led to eight New York points. The Thunder shot 37-percent from the field, helping New York take a 73-62 lead by the start of the final period.
The Knicks opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back triples, putting them up 82-66 with 8:25 remaining. OKC responded with a 6-0 run, going down by just 10 with six minutes remaining. The Knicks called a timeout, and both teams traded buckets for the next three minutes.
OKC inched closer to New York’s lead, but Westbrook and Waiters missed late opportunities to tie the ball game handing Oklahoma City its sixth loss of the season.
Westbrook led all Thunder scorers with 34 points, while Waiters scored 16. Enes Kanter earned his second straight double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Thunder will pick up action at home against the Dallas Mavericks at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Source: http://m.oudaily.com/
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